Please call or write to Tom Horne to explain why he risks harming Arizona’s children by refusing to allow social and emotional learning programs in schools.

Gov. Katie Hobbs is calling for a top-to-bottom review of the Arizona prison system, where inmates and their families have complained about a wide range of issues and a federal judge recently found medical care to be “plainly grossly inadequate.” The governor issued an executive order on Wednesday establishing an “independent prison oversight commission” to review problems in the prison system from healthcare to staffing levels.

Mental and behavioral health conditions are also a leading cause of maternal mortality in the U.S. In Arizona, nearly half of all pregnancy-associated deaths are due to mental health or substance use issues, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Dr. Saira Kalia, a perinatal psychiatrist at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, and Dr. Kathryn Emerick, also a perinatal psychiatrist at the University of Arizona, are working to launch a statewide hotline next spring for providers who serve the perinatal population.

Arizona ranks in the top half of states for adults reporting symptoms of anxiety and depression. The number of suicides in the state increased in 2021, after leveling off the two previous years. It is an upward trend that moves us backward.  

Located in downtown Tucson, Café 54 serves as an employment training program for people with mental health conditions or developmental disabilities. In Arizona, more than 1 million adults have some sort of mental health condition – but about one-third do not get needed health care, often because of cost.

In March 2020, Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law a sweeping set of measures designed to help curb rising rates of suicide and expand access to mental health treatment for Arizona residents with and without insurance.

Gov. Doug Ducey cannot deny Covid relief dollars to schools that impose mask mandates or give vouchers to parents so they can remove their children from those schools, a federal judge has concluded.

During the last five years, while Arizonans have reported feeling physically healthier, mental distress has increased. To help address this, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona and partners are actively working to implement an integrated medical management strategy that blends physical health, behavioral health, and the vital social determinants of health.

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.

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.