Kid Mental Health Is a Bipartisan Issue. Meet 4 Legislators Making a Difference

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Correction appended Jan. 10

From abortion to taxes to private school choice, many issues divide along party lines. But as youth suicide, self-harm and related challenges remain at crisis levels, mental health can and must remain a bipartisan issue. 

The most recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention paints a grim picture of the state of mental health among kids and teens in America. According to the survey, nearly all indicators of poor mental health, including suicidal thoughts and behaviors, worsened between 2013 and 2023. In fact, in 2023 alone, 20% of students seriously considered suicide and almost 10% made an attempt. These numbers are deeply concerning, particularly as mental health issues are affecting younger and younger children.

At Cartwheel, the mental health provider I co-founded to offer telehealth services to students, families and educators, more and more young people are being referred by their school counselors. The reasons differ based on age, but common challenges include anxiety, coping, family and relationship issues, and depression. What is abundantly clear is that there are not enough targeted resources — whether in schools or communities — to address this crisis. 

In an era of ever-increasing political polarization at the federal level, state capitals are the most promising venues for sustained, rapid, bipartisan action on youth mental health that is tailored to local needs. Here are four state lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats, who are working to expand mental health resources with efficient, effective solutions:

Before being elected to the Indiana state Senate in 2012, Republican Michael Crider was the director of law enforcement for the state Department of Natural Resources. He witnessed firsthand how the challenges the department faced daily were directly connected to gaps in mental health services that have existed for years and been further amplified since COVID. Since then, Crider has pushed for mental health reform. In 2023, he led efforts to pass Senate Bill 1, which built out a system of certified behavioral health clinics for children and adults, and he is looking to expand these efforts next year in partnership with the Indiana Mental Health Roundtable.

State Sen. Dafna Michaelson-Jenet has been a mental health advocate since joining the Colorado State House in 2017. A Democrat, in 2018 she authored HB 18-1177, which expanded access to youth suicide prevention programs and lowered the age of consent for minors to seek outpatient psychotherapy services. During the pandemic, she authorized legislation creating the iMatter program, which provides up to six free sessions of virtual or in-person therapy to all kids in Colorado. Last year, she was able to extend the funding for iMatter for another decade, and as the incoming president pro tem of the Colorado Senate, she is poised to continue her advocacy for youth behavioral health.

State Rep. Todd Jones, Republican of Georgia, has a deep personal connection that has inspired him to become a leading voice in mental health. After years of searching for treatment and solutions, his son was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, and while his family was able to afford care, he saw that most Georgians couldn’t. That led him to spearhead efforts to pass HB 1013 in 2022, the Mental Health Parity Act, which dramatically expanded mental health insurance coverage across the Peach State. More recently, Jones led the charge to raise Medicaid reimbursement rates for behavioral health coverage, which will increase the number of providers in the state. 

In his first budget session as chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery, Massachusetts Democratic state Sen. John Velis established a pilot program for school-based telehealth services. These are now available in the Somerville and Agawam school districts, in partnership with Cartwheel, Boston Children’s Hospital and the Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program.

Lawmakers all over the country from different backgrounds are supporting mental health legislation and advocating for solutions. Beyond the examples cited above, there has been bipartisan support for investment in school-based mental health solutions in Pennsylvania, with $100 million annually going toward a mental health and school safety fund; in Arizona, $2 million has been appropriated for a rural telehealth pilot; and Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida are creating a per-pupil mental health allotment. The work continues, across the aisle, to build out successful solutions to the ongoing mental health crisis.

Correction: The Colorado state senator’s last name is Michaelson-Jenet.

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