Health and Fitness : Grassley Highlights Services to Help Iowans Struggling with Mental Health

This month of May is a month that's devoted to what we call Mental Health Awareness Month.

So, every day, we know Americans cope with depression, anxiety, loneliness [and] hopelessness without a support system to help alleviate the burden.

To anyone who is struggling - you're not alone.

The National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at 9-8-8 to offer free and confidential support.

Through telehealth, people can connect with mental health professionals from the comfort of their home, breaking down barriers like distance and stigma.

As Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee in 2020, I played a key role in making access to mental telehealth a permanent benefit in Medicare.

State Medicaid programs and commercial insurance have likewise done the same. Today, two-thirds of telehealth is for mental health conditions.

Last month, I introduced a bill with this title: Fighting Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Act.

It takes an essential step towards ensuring first responders have easy access to mental health care that they need, and they deserve.

I also recently sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to ensure information about inpatient psychiatric facilities is clear and accessible to better support patients with serious mental health illness in having access to high-quality, safe care.

While the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has web-based tools to find and compare health care providers, that agency lacks the tools and the key information for comparing the quality and safety of inpatient psychiatric facilities so that those patients can make informed decisions.

I will continue to make sure that no one faces their struggles alone and that high-quality care is always within reach.