[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 195 (Tuesday, December 11, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7395-S7396]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    EXCELLENCE IN MENTAL HEALTH ACT

  Mr. BLUNT. Mr. President, I know that we have a number of things 
scheduled here, including some farewell speeches from some of our 
colleagues. I was scheduled to speak, and I do want to speak, and I 
will try not to take too much advantage of the time.
  I wanted to speak today and this week about the importance of 
treating mental health and the importance of

[[Page S7396]]

the role that law enforcement plays in the way we treat mental health 
in this country. For too long, law enforcement and emergency room 
personnel have been, in effect, the de facto mental health delivery 
system for the country.
  The National Institutes of Health says that one in five Americans has 
a mental health or behavioral health issue and that one in nine adult 
Americans has a behavioral health issue that impacts how they live 
every single day.
  Two Congresses ago, in the 113th Congress, Senator Stabenow and I 
worked to pass legislation--the Excellence in Mental Health Act. What 
that did was to create eight State demonstration projects that would 
last for 2 years each to see what would happen if we treated mental 
health like all other health concerns--something that everybody knows I 
believe we should have been doing and something that in eight States we 
are doing.
  The good news was that 24 States applied, a number that exceeded 
every discussion that anybody had about how many States would step 
forward and say: We would like to be the States that try to do this 
first. Twenty-four States applied. I was certainly proud that Missouri 
was one of the eight States chosen to be in the demonstration project.
  We are about halfway through the 2-year project, and in our State and 
in the seven other States, people have access to mental health services 
they didn't have before. Most Missourians are within a relatively short 
drive of a facility that will treat their mental health problem like it 
was any other health problem, and as we begin to do that, I think we 
are going to see the kind of impact on law enforcement and the kind of 
help that law enforcement needs as well.
  Just a couple of years ago, I rode with both the crisis intervention 
teams in Kansas City and in my hometown in Springfield. In Springfield 
what I saw there were officers dealing with a 24/7 linkup to the 
Burrell mental health clinic, the local and regional mental health 
provider.
  Sixteen officers, at that time, had, in effect, iPads that linked 
them up to a mental health professional. It didn't take too long--and I 
think this would be indicative of what most law enforcement officials 
see almost every day--before we came on someone huddled in the alcove 
of a building that was vacant who clearly had a behavioral health 
problem. It wasn't at that point a drug problem or an alcohol problem. 
They were where they were because they had a mental health problem.
  The officer was able to Skype back immediately with a mental health 
professional. What I was really most interested in is that even with a 
well-trained officer who knew exactly what they were doing and how to 
do it--even with that officer there--as that officer linked the person 
up with someone--in effect, a telemedicine linkup with a mental health 
professional--you could tell that that person was more comfortable 
talking to the iPad and communicating that way than he was with the 
officer that was right there with him, and it wasn't because the 
officer was in any way intimidating or unprofessional. It was just 
because of what it was--a linkup with someone at another site, but 
someone who clearly was well prepared to deal with those kinds of 
issues.
  So we are going to see that this benefitted the kinds of things that 
the mental health community can do to provide more resources to the law 
enforcement community. The Excellence in Mental Health Act is providing 
a service and, I think, producing real results.
  I would also say, as I conclude my remarks on this topic, that what 
we hope to see is a significant number of people. Remember, I said NIH 
said that one out of five adult Americans has a behavioral health 
issue. What happens when you deal with that behavioral health issue in 
terms of how you deal with all of the other health issues that that 
individual or that community will be dealing with? What happens if 
somebody is feeling better about themselves--taking their medicine, 
eating better, sleeping better, showing up for the doctor's 
appointments, showing up for the dialysis appointment, doing what they 
ought to be doing?
  I believe what we are going to find and what has been found in 
earlier big county studies of this kind is that actually doing the 
right thing winds up saving money, not costing money. But also doing 
the right thing for police officers, for people in emergency rooms and 
providing the kinds of connections and alternatives needed make a big 
difference.
  For all of the healthcare providers and the law enforcement 
individuals involved, I am grateful for what they do, and I think we 
are seeing some real results from the bill that this body passed, 
President Obama signed into law, and is producing great results.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Dakota.
  Ms. HEITKAMP. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for as 
much time as it takes me to finish this. I promise I will not keep you 
here until midnight.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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