In December 2016, the U.S. Congress passed the 21st Century Cures Act, which expanded access to mental health services throughout the United States.
The 21st Century Cures Act possesses a number of different facets, however, the overall goal of the bill is to supply services that will improve mental health care for Americans across the country, as well as help reduce the abuse of opioids nationwide. This bill is believed to be the most exciting and promising bill regarding mental healthcare within the past eight years.
This bill is a multi-faceted approach to helping improve upon what many would agree is a lack of appropriate mental health care within the nation. For starters, the 21st Century Cures Act will embrace parity for both mental and physical health, similar to a bill passed in 2008 that required equal insurance coverage for both mental and physical health. In addition, funding will be put towards programs that utilize research and science-based techniques when it comes to specific programming options and treatment options for those who grapple with mental illness.
This bill does not stop there, though. Under this bill, those with mental illness will be afforded early intervention for psychosis, which is a treatment model capable of utilizing professionals to provide psychotherapy, medications, education, and support for families of those who are afflicted with one or more mental illnesses. Also, assertive community treatment will be made available, which means that treatment professionals can be on-call 24/7 and those individuals who find themselves in court can obtain court-ordered care through assisted outpatient treatment. In the same breath, The U.S. Attorney General will be held responsible for appointing a drug and mental health court pilot program that will allow offenders to receive mental health care as opposed to jail time.
These are just some of the most prominent highlights of the 21st Century Cures Act, however, the nation is already abuzz in terms of how much this legislation can change the lives of those who struggle not only with mental health conditions, but also substance use disorders. For the first time, legislative action is being taken to acknowledge mental health conditions as issues that require professional care as opposed to incarceration. This is key for those who abuse drugs and/or alcohol, as this bill can help in providing those who are addicted to substances with the treatment they need.
In particular, communities throughout places like southwest Louisiana will begin to feel the impact of this bill as it goes into action. Not only will this bill help areas such as southwest Louisiana hire more mental health care professionals, provide more funding for grant programs and research, and possibly kick start a movement to get hospitals built within the area that can care for patients struggling with mental health conditions, but it will also bring on a great sense of relief to a part of the country that has battled with mental illness within their communities for much too long.
