Supporting the mental health needs of Arizona youth can help create lasting change in our community. If you or someone you know could benefit from the programming that Youth4Youth offers, call (623) 208-3230 or visit youth4youth.org.
Read More »Fund 988 crisis lifeline
Join me this month in urging your public officials to fund 988. We all play a role in changing the culture around mental health. Together, we can ensure #MentalHealth4All.
Read More »Eliminate 55-bed mental health limit
Our system is broken in many ways. But again, there are many narrow fixes with broad positive implications which start the process of improvement. This is one of those narrow fixes. The 55-bed cap is a monumental failure – it should be eliminated.
Read More »Easy access to mental health help crucial to suicide prevention
My son died by suicide in 2011. He was a son, brother, uncle, and United States soldier. In my heart I wonder if he had easy access to mental health help he might be here today.
Read More »COVID-19 crisis underscores importance of investing in mental health
COVID-19 has been a lesson in resiliency. The global pandemic reminds us of what we can accomplish as a people and underscores the value of a strong health care system. That includes mental health. We know that the effects of ...
Read More »Ducey signs bill aimed to prevent teen suicide 
Insurance companies in Arizona will soon have to cover mental health care the same way they cover other medical care.
Read More »Criminal justice reform should set up ex-prisoners to succeed
About 95 percent of prison inmates will eventually be released from custody and will return to our communities. They could be the person standing next to you at the grocery store or your neighbor across the street. While always keeping public safety first in mind, we should all agree that more should be done to set them up to succeed after incarceration. That must be the goal of any criminal justice reform.
Read More »The time has come for maternal mental health public policy
I didn’t realize it would be this hard. I walked onto the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, or NICU, floor of the hospital and felt goosebumps start to rise on my arms.
Read More »Broader range of care needed to treat those with mental illness
Across our state, the toll of mental illness is high. Nearly half of adults with a mental health condition have a substance use disorder, while nearly 10 million Americans consider suicide each year. Here in Arizona, the suicide rate is 60 percent higher than the national average. There are many contributing factors such as depression, drugs or access to care.
Read More »Brutal political fight to expand Medicaid was worth it
Yes, the political fight of five years ago to restore and expand AHCCCS was brutal. But it was worth it.
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