[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 87 (Monday, May 6, 2019)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 19851-19852]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-09401]



[[Page 19849]]

Vol. 84

Monday,

No. 87

May 6, 2019

Part III





The President





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Proclamation 9875--National Mental Health Awareness Month, 2019
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  Federal Register / Vol. 84 , No. 87 / Monday, May 6, 2019 / 
Presidential Documents  

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 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 19851]]

                Proclamation 9875 of May 1, 2019

                
National Mental Health Awareness Month, 2019

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                During National Mental Health Awareness Month, we 
                recognize the vital role mental health plays in the 
                well-being of individuals and our Nation. We also 
                reaffirm our commitment to facilitating research and 
                education, dispelling stigma around mental illnesses, 
                and reassuring every individual suffering from mental 
                illnesses that they are not alone. My Administration 
                has made mental and behavioral health a primary focus 
                of our public health efforts, particularly opioid 
                addiction and serious mental illness. This includes 
                connecting agencies from across the Government to 
                address issues ranging from housing to workforce 
                opportunity, bringing a whole person approach to bear 
                upon this issue.

                Mental illnesses can impair mental health in many ways, 
                through a wide range of conditions that affect mood, 
                thinking, and behavior. While we have made great 
                strides in addressing mental illnesses, millions of 
                Americans still grapple with various forms of it. 
                Nearly 47 million American adults are living with a 
                mental illness. Twenty-four percent of these 
                individuals are living with a serious mental illness, 
                and approximately 3.1 million adults have both a mental 
                illness and a substance use disorder. Additionally, the 
                effects of mental illnesses on our country's youth and 
                young adults is tragically becoming more apparent. In 
                just 1 year, rates of major depression, reports of 
                suicidal thoughts and attempts, and instances of 
                serious mental illness have all increased for our youth 
                and young adults, with more than one in 10 young adults 
                seriously considering suicide in 2017.

                My Administration is continuing our efforts to improve 
                mental health by tackling mental illness and supplying 
                people who are suffering with the resources they need. 
                We are working to expand our partnership with States to 
                help individuals with the most serious mental 
                illnesses. My fiscal year 2020 budget request to the 
                Congress maintains funding for the Community Mental 
                Health Services Block Grants, which provide money to 
                every State for services to adults with serious mental 
                illness and children with serious emotional 
                disturbances. States are using this funding to identify 
                mental illnesses at early stages in order to reduce the 
                likelihood of the types of long-term disability that 
                people with serious mental illnesses often experience.

                Last fall, I signed into law H.R. 6, the ``SUPPORT for 
                Patients and Communities Act.'' This bipartisan law 
                expands access to inpatient treatment and other 
                evidence-based options, for those with mental illness. 
                Additionally, last November, the Department of Health 
                and Human Services announced an opportunity for States 
                to use Medicaid demonstration authority to support 
                short-term inpatient treatment options for adults with 
                serious mental illnesses and children with serious 
                emotional disturbances. My Administration has approved 
                applications from more than 20 States to expand access 
                to treatment for substance use disorder through these 
                inpatient facilities. Further, my Administration has 
                provided unprecedented levels of training and education 
                to healthcare practitioners across the country 
                regarding mental health, mental illnesses, and 
                substance use issues. This training is designed to 
                enable

[[Page 19852]]

                Federal efforts to accommodate the varying needs of 
                communities across the country.

                My Administration is also committed to meeting the 
                mental health needs of our brave service members and 
                veterans. Tragically, an average of 20 service members 
                and veterans die by suicide each day. Of those, nearly 
                70 percent were not engaged with the Department of 
                Veterans Affairs for their healthcare. To help address 
                this issue, I signed an Executive Order that launched 
                the President's Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a 
                National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS) Initiative and 
                establishes a task force that includes the Secretaries 
                of Veterans Affairs, Defense, Health and Human 
                Services, and Homeland Security charged with developing 
                a comprehensive public health roadmap to help end the 
                national tragedy of veteran suicide. This plan will 
                include a national research strategy for engaging 
                public- and private-sector stakeholders to better 
                understand the underlying factors of suicide and means 
                to enhance early identification. Instead of a passive 
                system that activates when veterans in need reach out, 
                it will propose grants to empower veteran communities 
                to create national and local support networks that 
                actively engage with all veterans.

                This month, and throughout the year, let us work 
                together to understand the importance of mental health. 
                Let us recommit to making every effort to provide 
                Americans suffering from mental illnesses with the care 
                they need. Mental health is not just an individual 
                issue, but a national issue. The mental health of our 
                citizens is critical to our Nation's prosperity. 
                Together, by focusing on and understanding these 
                issues, we can reduce the effects of mental illnesses 
                on our communities and enable all Americans to live 
                healthy and productive lives.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the 
                United States of America, by virtue of the authority 
                vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the 
                United States do hereby proclaim May 2019 as National 
                Mental Health Awareness Month. I call upon all 
                Americans to support citizens suffering from mental 
                illnesses, raise awareness of mental health conditions 
                through appropriate programs and activities, and commit 
                our Nation to innovative prevention, diagnosis, and 
                treatment.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                first day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand 
                nineteen, and of the Independence of the United States 
                of America the two hundred and forty-third.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2019-09401
Filed 5-3-19; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F9-P