[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 159 (Wednesday, October 28, 2015)]
[House]
[Page H7261]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   OUR NATION'S MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. LaMalfa) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, for too long we have neglected mental 
health in our Nation, leaving many to suffer with little hope. Nowhere 
is this seen more clearly than in our rural communities.
  According to reports, more than 60 percent of rural Americans are 
living in areas that are experiencing shortages in mental health 
professionals. More than 90 percent of practicing psychologists and 
psychiatrists in this country work exclusively in metropolitan areas. 
More than 65 percent of rural Americans rely solely on their primary 
care providers for mental health care. In most rural communities, the 
primary mental health crisis responder is a law enforcement officer, 
despite not being a medical specialist.
  All across rural America patients continue to face longer wait times, 
difficulty accessing care, and long-distance travel just to access 
subpar care by professionals, through no fault of their own, not even 
adequately trained to diagnose and treat mental health issues. In 
Shasta County, in my district, there is evidently only one psychiatrist 
in the area, while there is an estimated 4,000 patients with mental 
health needs.
  In addition, the lack of mental healthcare facilities, such as the 
shortage of inpatient beds and space, leaves patients stuck with longer 
wait times in the emergency room before they can even see a health 
professional with no other options.
  While the President's healthcare law attempted to make strides in 
this area by including behavioral health coverage, this system is 
fundamentally and fatally flawed.
  While continuing to throw Federal funding at it may serve as a 
temporary Band-Aid for the symptoms of this crisis, it does nothing to 
address the root of the problem. One-size-fits-all, top-down systems do 
not work, especially in rural America.
  If we continue to stand by the status quo, our rural patients will 
continue to suffer and, in many unfortunate cases, end up suicidal, 
homeless, or in prison, placing an even greater financial burden on our 
communities.
  For this reason, I am proud to support H.R. 2646, the Helping 
Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2015. I thank my colleague from 
Pennsylvania for introducing this sorely needed bill. It is said the 
first step to fixing a problem is acknowledging there is one, and that 
is exactly what this bill does.
  We spend approximately $130 billion on mental health every year, yet 
our country still faces a shortage of nearly 100,000 psychiatric beds. 
Three of the largest mental health hospitals are, in fact, criminal 
incarceration facilities.
  For every 2,000 children with a mental health disorder, only one 
child psychiatrist is available. Outdated HIPAA privacy laws continue 
to prevent families and doctors from getting their loved ones and 
patients the care they need.
  Our mental health system is broken, but it certainly does not have to 
be. H.R. 2646 is a great step in rebuilding the system to one that 
works to empower patients and families with the access to care and 
services they need.
  It brings accountability to the system to ensure every Federal dollar 
is going to evidence-based standards, improves quality, and expands 
access to behavioral health in our community health clinics while 
advancing telepsychiatry in areas with limited access to mental health 
professionals, and, importantly, ends the outdated prohibition on 
physicians volunteering at clinics and federally qualified health 
centers.
  In addition, it provides more beds for those in need of immediate 
care or those experiencing a crisis and improves alternatives to 
institutionalization so patients can access the treatment they need, 
while it helps us decrease the incarceration rates, homelessness, and 
recurring ER visits. These are just a few of the sorely needed reforms 
included in H.R. 2646.
  I want to stand today to thank my colleague, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Murphy), for his leadership in introducing this bill 
and urge my colleagues to lend their support of this responsible 
measure to help fix this broken system.

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