A new bill is being proposed to use federal funding to increase the number of medical professionals available to help students with mental health issues. Sen. Maggie Hassan met with educators and mental health experts in Manchester on Wednesday to discuss the bill, the Creating Educational Access and Resources for Student Mental Health Act, which aims to help schools in New Hampshire and across the country recruit, train and retain mental health professionals. “We are all resilient,” said Rep. Hassan. “We can bounce back from mental health issues, but we need the tools to do so.” Rep. Hassan said the bill has bipartisan support and is based on what she and her colleagues have heard from constituents across the country. >> Download the free WMUR app to get the latest updates on the go: Apple | Google Play << "Our kids are having mental health issues. This is a byproduct of the pandemic, this is a byproduct of the fentanyl epidemic, this is a byproduct of social media, and it's something we need to address," said Rep. Hassan. "And we shouldn't turn a blind eye to it, we shouldn't stigmatize it. We need to address it, and I'm hopeful we can get this to the finish line." The bill strengthens the bipartisan Safer Communities Act program. The University of New Hampshire is using some of its federal funds to place graduate students in high-need schools to help address mental health issues. "There's been a tremendous demand for our programs, especially from high-need communities," said Mary Shue, an associate research professor at the University of New Hampshire. "And the demand is coming from local mental health organizations, families, local school districts that are really struggling to meet the mental health needs of students." Hassan has heard from educators and mental health experts about how they are using federal funds to combat the anxiety, depression and loneliness that many students are suffering from in the wake of the pandemic. "Students are really craving that connection," said Katie Godshall, a clinical assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire. "In the age of social media, we're both more connected and more alone than ever before, so being able to model social skills for kids and be able to support each other and stay connected, I think that honestly means so much to these kids," Hassan said, adding that he will focus on encouraging more mental health professionals to go to more rural areas of the state to ensure all children have access to quality care.
A new bill has been proposed that would allocate federal funding to more medical professionals to help students with mental health issues.
Sen. Maggie Hassan met with educators and mental health experts in Manchester on Wednesday to discuss the “Creating Student Mental Health Education Access and Resources Act,” a bill aimed at helping schools in New Hampshire and across the country recruit, train and retain mental health professionals.
“We are all resilient,” Hassan said. “We can all bounce back from mental health issues, but we have to have the tools to do so.”
Hassan said the bill has bipartisan support and is based on what she and her colleagues have heard from constituents across the country.
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“Kids are experiencing mental health issues that are a by-product of the pandemic, a by-product of the fentanyl epidemic, a by-product of social media, and we need to address that,” Hassan said. “We shouldn’t turn a blind eye to it, we shouldn’t stigmatize it. We need to address it, and I’m hopeful we can get this across the finish line.”
The bill would strengthen the bipartisan Safer Communities Act program, which allows the University of New Hampshire to use some of its federal funding to send graduate students to high-need schools to address mental health issues.
“There’s a lot of demand for our programs, especially from high-need communities,” says Mary Hsu, an associate research professor at the University of New Hampshire. “And the demand is coming from local mental health organizations, from families, and from local school districts that are really struggling to meet the mental health needs of their students.”
Hassan heard from educators and mental health experts about how they are using federal funding to combat anxiety, depression and feelings of loneliness that many students are feeling as a result of the pandemic.
“Students really crave that connection,” said Katie Godshall, a clinical assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire. “In the age of social media, we’re both more connected and more lonely than ever before, so being able to model social skills for them and help them maintain that connection, I think that honestly means so much to these kids.”
Hassan said he would focus on encouraging more mental health professionals to go to more rural areas of the state to ensure all children have access to quality care.
