Senators Urge Increase in Letter to Appropriations Committee
Update
June 13, 2011 -- Thank you for contacting your Senators in support of increased funding for the Mental Health Block Grant. The Dear Colleague letter, spearheaded by Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), has now been sent to the leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee (link to letter). We will continue to keep you informed of advocacy efforts as Congress moves forward on fiscal year 2012 appropriations.
The Mental Health Block Grant supports a range of important community-based mental health and support services for children and adults with severe mental illnesses. Because it is such a flexible source of funding, the Mental Health Block Grant is more important now than ever in light of state budget shortfalls. In the last three years, states have decreased funding for mental health services by $2 billion while demand for public mental health services has increased.