Time to do more for mental health

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. As a volunteer and advocate with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, I am asking everyone to join us and demand #Moreformentalhealth. I am calling on legislators at the federal and state levels to support legislation that will fund the implementation of 988 and the suicide and mental health crisis system, particularly for those in underserved communities. Currently, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available at 1-800-273-8255. On July 16, those in distress and those who support them will be able to reach the Lifeline through a simple 3-digit number: 988. With this shorter number, calls, texts and chats to the crisis call centers are expected to increase. It is vital that the federal government work with states to ensure callers in distress will have: 1) someone to call; 2) someone to come; and 3) somewhere safe to go. We must secure funding to equip call centers and community crisis response services with the staff and resources to respond to everyone in crisis.

Join me in urging federal and state public officials to do #Moreformentalhealth. You can start by visiting moreformentalhealth.org.

Margaret Kelly, Newington