Whenever a mass shooting happens, Republicans are quick to blame mental illness for the carnage, as if the shooting happened at the spur of the moment and in the heat of passion. Nothing could be further from the truth. Most mass shootings are premeditated.
What’s worse is that the finger-pointing reinforces the stigma associated with mental health issues and discourages those who might want treatment from seeking it out. Ironically it is people who live with mental health issues who are most likely to be the victims of gun violence. Republican rhetoric simultaneously stigmatizes and victimizes them.
In his town halls and campaign stops, BETO O’Rourke has shown that he is keenly aware of two basic problems:
- the lack of access to mental health services in the US
- the stigma associated with mental illnesses
So, what would mental health care look like in an O’Rourke administration?
Access
The most important issue is access. Beto has endorsed the healthcare plan called Medicare for America. The plan makes an improved version of Medicare the default option (meaning the automatic insurance plan) for everyone who does not have employer-provided insurance. All employer-provided plans must meet the standards of improved Medicare, and if employees are unhappy with their group plan, they can switch to Medicare with their employer subsidy.
For those interested in this plan, you can listen to dKos’ own Charles Gaba discussing it in this podcast interview. What matters for this diary is that Medicare for America guarantees coverage of all healthcare needs from routine doctor’s visits to vision and dental care to all mental health services.
Expanding and Improving Treatment in the VA
During his 3 terms in Congress, Beto served on the House Veterans Affairs and Armed Services Committees. In both capacities he saw that “care delayed is care denied.” This motivated him to author or cosponsor several pieces of legislation designed to expand mental health services for veterans.
As a Presidential candidate he has proposed sweeping changes to the VA to make it a state of the art healthcare system with special attention to mental health services.
Establish the VA as a leader on mental health and opioid treatment.
We need to treat mental health with the same diligence, seriousness, and focus as physical health — especially because the epidemic of PTS and veteran suicide in the United States is both unacceptable and preventable. The VA must make suicide prevention a top clinical priority. The VA can be a leader on these health issues, pioneering approaches that can be adopted industry-wide. In addition, the VA can be a driver in innovation for how our country deals with opioid addiction in particular.
Beto’s commitment to this issue is real. He reached out to countless veterans while on the Hill and personally recruited psychologists and psychiatrists for the VA in El Paso. During his 2018 Senate run one veteran felt compelled to speak out about the compassion Beto showed her in her struggle with PTSD. Beto checked in with her several times after she attempted suicide and his voicemails touched her enough that she chose to make them public. This was her choice. Beto himself left the messages without any public fanfare:
Maternity Care Involves Mental Health Care
The psychological struggles of women during and immediately after pregnancy are too often swept under the rug, making the women who do struggle feel even greater shame for their hardship. In his recently released women’s rights plan, Beto addresses the need for mental health services for pregnant women and especially women of color living in poverty with programs devoted to
Ensuring mental health services to new mothers and expanding home visiting programs so families have the support they need, expanding maternal home visits through the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program.
Support new mothers at risk for homelessness, as mothers experiencing postpartum depression during the first year after birth are at higher risk.
Counseling and Treatment for Homeless Americans
Homeless Americans are often in need of mental health services but have a hard time getting treatment. In his recently released housing proposal Beto lists several initiatives designed to ensure mental health care for those who have no permanent address.
Provide access to mental health care with increased funding to local organizations through the Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) grants. Triple the size of PATH funding (to approximately $194 million) to increase outreach capacity, screening, community mental health services, and treatment for substance use disorders. PATH currently supports 500 local organizations who, in 2017, served nearly 140,000 individuals.
He also proposes to increase the counseling options available to children, veterans and LGBTQ people who are currently homeless.
Lifting the Stigma
In both his policies and his actions, BETO treats mental health care as one of the many medical needs we have in life. It’s normal; we all need it at times; and we all should have access to it.
This attitude was on full display as Beto comforted a clearly distressed Walmart employee who was in the store during the August 3rd shooting in El Paso.
What’s remarkable is not only the genuine concern Beto shows for this young man, or even his generosity in giving him his personal cell phone number, but the matter-of-factness with which he says that if this man would like to talk to someone, he can give him the names of counselors.
With this one gesture, Beto lifts the stigma of mental health issues.
Please check out Beto’s vision and plans at BetoORourke.com and donate to his campaign, which is powered by people, not PACs or special interests or corporations.
Volunteer for Beto: act.BetoORourke.com/signup/volunteer