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(Washington D.C.)- On April 27, Rep. Grace Napolitano received the Allies for Action award from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and Suicide Prevention Action Network.
Napolitano received the award for her efforts in the field of suicide prevention and mental health care, including her establishment of a school-based child and adolescent mental health program in her district and securing funding for that program over the last 9 years. Napolitano has also introduced the Mental Health in Schools Act of 2009, which if passed will expand youth mental health programs to hundreds of schools across the country. Napolitano founded the Mental Health Caucus with Rep. Tim Murphy, which now has more than 70 members from both parties.
“It has been a top priority for Rep. Napolitano to ensure access to mental health care, especially for our youth, Hispanics, seniors, and veterans,” said Robert Gebbia, executive director for AFSP. “Her work sends a strong message that suicide is a national health problem and more needs to be done to prevent further deaths. We are honored to have her as our ally in a fight to save lives.”
“Thank you for the honor, but we are only beginning,” Napolitano said. “Much stigma remains surrounding mental health. We must continue to do everything we can to provide for our children, veterans, and other members of our community when they need us the most.”
May is Mental Health Awareness Month nationwide, and May 6 is Children’s Mental Health Day.
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