{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://sewell.house.gov/2022/6/rep-sewell-votes-bolster-mental-health-and-substance-use-care", "Rep. Sewell Votes to Bolster Mental Health and Substance Use Care", "2022-06-22", "2022", "2022-06", "Democrat", "House", "AL", "Terri A. Sewell", "S001185", "sewell.house.gov", "sewell", "https://sewell.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "Washington, D.C. \u2013 Today, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) voted for a bipartisan legislative package strengthening access to care for Alabamians grappling with mental illness and substance use disorders. Advancing President Biden\u2019s bold vision for a bipartisan Unity Agenda, the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act will strengthen and expand more than 30 federal programs to address widespread shortages in mental health professionals and other barriers to care. This legislation passed the House with an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 402-20.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s no secret that our nation suffers from a mental health crisis which was only made worse by the hardship and isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic,\u201d said Rep. Sewell. \u201cCongress has a responsibility to provide the resources Alabamians need to seek care during times of need. Today, I proudly voted to strengthen Alabamians\u2019 access to mental health and substance use services. This legislation marks a critical step toward addressing our mental health crisis by removing barriers to care and investing in our mental health workforce.\u201d\n\nA majority of Americans will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder at some point in their lifetime, and suicide remains the second leading cause of death among young people between the ages of 10 and 34. Additionally, more than 2 million Americans suffer from an opioid use disorder, and nearly 108,000 Americans died due to a drug overdose last year. Despite this urgent need for care, approximately 122 million Americans live in areas experiencing a shortage of qualified mental health professionals. Even among individuals with health insurance, coverage limitations and financial barriers continue to increase cost and delay care.\n\nThe Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act takes several steps to bridge these gaps and connect Americans to urgently needed health services:\n\nStrengthening Crisis Resources, including suicide prevention, mental health support, substance use disorder services, recovery housing and other services.\n\nAddressing America\u2019s Opioid Epidemic by easing access to life-saving treatments and strengthening training requirements for practitioners who prescribe controlled substances.\n\nInvesting in the Behavioral Health Workforce through additional training grants and state funding.\n\nSupporting Young People\u2019s Mental Health by strengthening pediatric mental health care, Medicaid behavioral health services and suicide prevention resources for college students.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T02:39:01Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://sewell.house.gov/2022/6/rep-sewell-votes-bolster-mental-health-and-substance-use-care"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.754424137994647, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}