Help Montana children by supporting legislation

In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook tragedy, on Jan. 31, Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota submitted a bill in Congress, SB195, The Mental Health in Schools Act of 2013, which amends the Public Health Service Act to revise a community children and violence program to assist communities and schools.  

By revising eligibility requirements for funding, SB195 provides comprehensive mental health programs in schools in collaboration with community health programs.  It authorizes $200 million in grant funding a year during five years.  Schools may apply for up to $1 million per grant year.

This legislation is key because our mental healthcare system in the U.S. remains inadequate to meet needs, with costs being a major barrier. Measures of our health as a society are of grave concern, with the U.S. having the highest rate of mental illness in the world, second highest rates of substance use disorder, and the most expensive healthcare system, with health status outcomes near the bottom of the industrialized world.  

Furthermore, community violence, incarceration rates and poor academic achievement are problems, each reflecting a weak behavioral health infrastructure in the U.S.

In 2009, state mental-health programs were cut by 4 percent, 5 percent in 2010, and more than 8 percent in 2011.  Two-thirds of school districts reported mental-health needs increased while funding decreased. Common children’s behavioral health problems such as depression, anxiety disorders, conduct and eating disorders, ADHD, and substance abuse disorders exist, with more than  70 percent of children not getting treatment.  

The CDC estimates that in any given year, 13 to 20 percent of children ages 3 to 17 experience a mental disorder: 4.7 percent of adolescents met diagnostic requirements for illicit drug use disorder; 4.2 percent for alcohol abuse disorder; and 2.8 percent were dependent on cigarettes.  

Also, 40 percent of unemployed parents are seeing negative effects on their kids’ behavior.  In the last 20 years, suicide rates have doubled among 10- to 14-year-olds.  According to The National Institute of Mental Health, suicide is the third leading cause of death for ages 15 to 24, the second for ages 10 to 34 in Montana.

At a time when uninsured rates are estimated around 48.6 million in the U.S., families cannot pay for behavioral health services out-of-pocket. Sometimes mental health services aren’t even available to people not on Medicaid. Matt Kuntz, Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Montana chapter, sums it up saying Montana is lacking resources in mental health programs and, therefore, must rely on federal resources.  

In January, President Obama put forth his recommendations in Now Is the Time, a plan to protect children by reducing gun violence. The president’s plan included several proposals to improve school mental-health services. Both Montana Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester are co-sponsors of The Mental Health in Schools Act and other key educational and mental health legislation.

In a repressed economy with tight budgets, services like school counselors end up getting cut. SB195 proposes to aid this problem by providing funds to mental-health programs in schools.  Statistically, 31 percent of teen problems decrease six months after receiving mental healthcare; youth school attendance increased from 75 percent to 81 percent, and grades increased from 55 percent to 66 percent, after one year of entering a mental-health program; and 16 percent of students report lower depression, 21 percent lower anxiety, and 38 percent behavioral improvement after one year of therapy.  

This legislation will serve our communities and education systems well, strengthening Montana and giving our children a greater chance of a positive and healthy outcome.

(Jenny Andersen is graduate student in social work at the University of Southern California.)