Advocacy

The National Council and a coalition of behavioral health organizations have made a historic appropriations request for behavioral health organizations in response to COVID-19. The request - an emergency appropriation of $38.5 billion for providers of mental health and addiction treatment services - is one of the largest and most important funding requests of our time.

Community-based providers of mental health and substance use treatment services were already struggling to meet the growing demand for services, even before COVID-19 began. COVID-19 has exacerbated the need for behavioral health services. The pandemic has increased anxiety, fear, isolation and grief, leading to declining mental health and increased substance use in our communities that will only continue to get worse.