[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 87 (Friday, May 3, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 36661-36662]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-09819]


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  Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 87 / Friday, May 3, 2024 / 
Presidential Documents  

[[Page 36661]]


                Proclamation 10739 of April 30, 2024

                
National Mental Health Awareness Month, 2024

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                During National Mental Health Awareness Month, we 
                recognize the bravery and resilience of the tens of 
                millions of Americans living with mental health 
                conditions, and we show our gratitude for the dedicated 
                mental health professionals and devoted loved ones who 
                stand by them every step of the way. Mental health care 
                is health care, and my Administration will ensure that 
                every American has the care they need to thrive--we 
                have your back.

                Being able to get health care when you need it is 
                essential to living a full, productive, and healthy 
                life--that goes for mental health care too. Mental 
                health care can help people find joy and purpose; 
                ensuring they have access to the care they need is 
                about dignity. But for millions of Americans, mental 
                health care is out of reach. In 2020, less than half of 
                all adults with a mental illness diagnosis received 
                care for it. It is worse for kids--nearly 70 percent of 
                children who need mental health care cannot get it. 
                Imagine being a parent searching for a way to help 
                their child but never finding it, no matter how hard 
                they look. This is an all-too-common experience as many 
                Americans face mental health challenges: Two in five 
                adults report experiencing anxiety or depression, and 
                suicide is a leading cause of death among young people. 
                We know that mental health treatment works, but we need 
                to make it more accessible and affordable for all 
                Americans.

                That is why, as President, I have taken steps to 
                dramatically expand access to mental health care in 
                America. I signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities 
                Act--the largest investment in youth mental health 
                ever, and we are investing $1 billion of that funding 
                to help schools across the country hire and train new 
                mental health counselors. We also added more than 140 
                Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics across 
                the Nation, which serve everyone regardless of their 
                ability to pay and provide a range of services, 
                including 24-hour crisis support. We launched 988, the 
                Nationwide Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which anyone 
                can call, text, or chat to be connected to a trained 
                crisis counselor. Further, my Administration developed 
                new resources to support the mental health and 
                resilience of frontline workers; expanded Medicare 
                coverage to include additional substance use disorder 
                services and expand mental health services; made it 
                easier for schools to leverage Medicaid to deliver 
                mental health care to millions of children and youth; 
                and invested in mental health programs that help 
                service members and veterans as well as their families, 
                caregivers, and survivors.

                We are also working to ensure full mental health parity 
                so that mental health care is covered the same as 
                physical health care. We have proposed requiring health 
                insurance plans to identify the gaps in the mental 
                health care they provide, and if they find they are not 
                covering mental health care on par with physical health 
                care, to make changes to fix it. Finally, we are taking 
                action to ensure that State and local government 
                employees have the same mental health parity 
                protections as millions of other Americans who get 
                health insurance from their jobs, which is why we are 
                working to close loopholes so these dedicated public 
                servants can more easily access

[[Page 36662]]

                the mental health care they need with fewer limits on 
                care and lower co-pays.

                At the same time, my Administration is working to end 
                the opioid and overdose epidemic by cracking down on 
                fentanyl trafficking and increasing public health 
                efforts to save lives. This month, we celebrate the 
                absolute courage of the Americans in recovery and 
                reaffirm our commitment to care for those suffering.

                My Administration will also keep fighting to end the 
                youth mental health crisis--and that means addressing 
                social media's contributions to it. I continue to call 
                on the Congress to restrict the personal data that 
                companies collect, ban advertising that targets minors, 
                and take action to ensure that social media platforms 
                prioritize the health and safety of our Nation's 
                children.

                Each one of us has a role to play in changing the 
                narrative and ending the stigmatization of mental 
                health issues. We can start by showing compassion so 
                everyone feels free to ask for help and learning the 
                warning signs of emotional distress and suicide. If you 
                are facing a crisis, dial 988 to reach the National 
                Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. If you are a new or 
                expecting mother, you can call 1-833-TLC-MAMA for 
                confidential advice on mental health from a 
                professional. If you are feeling overwhelmed or just 
                need someone to talk to, ask your health care provider, 
                contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
                Administration's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP, 
                or visit FindSupport.gov. To anyone struggling with 
                mental health, know that you are not alone. As 
                Americans, we have a duty of care to reach out to one 
                another and leave no one behind. We are all in this 
                together.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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 2024 as 
                National Mental Health Awareness Month. I call upon 
                citizens, government agencies, private businesses, 
                nonprofit organizations, and other groups to join in 
                activities and take action to strengthen the mental 
                health of our communities and our Nation.

                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                eighth.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2024-09819
Filed 5-2-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P