0:00:00.580,0:00:08.549
[Music]

0:00:09.160,0:00:12.000
a lot of issues that uh we care about

0:00:12.000,0:00:13.880
and are active in there's absolutely a

0:00:13.880,0:00:16.520
personal connection uh it's personal our

0:00:16.520,0:00:19.760
family uh from from my very first date

0:00:19.760,0:00:22.880
with my wife Angela we she shared with

0:00:22.880,0:00:25.920
me U her experience is growing up as not

0:00:25.920,0:00:28.679
just a daughter to a single mother but

0:00:28.679,0:00:30.920
as her mother's uh caretaker and

0:00:30.920,0:00:34.320
Advocate uh my mother suffers from uh uh

0:00:34.320,0:00:36.800
or Her diagnosis I should say is a a

0:00:36.800,0:00:38.800
bipolar one which gets to effective

0:00:38.800,0:00:43.000
disorder uh so pretty severe diagnosis

0:00:43.000,0:00:45.640
uh but uh Just Having learned and been

0:00:45.640,0:00:48.640
inspired by Angel's experience over the

0:00:48.640,0:00:51.440
years and her family's really ring

0:00:51.440,0:00:53.399
around in support of my

0:00:53.399,0:00:57.000
mother-in-law uh it's uh drove home the

0:00:57.000,0:01:01.800
lesson that she's she's doing well uh we

0:01:01.800,0:01:03.760
say she's thriving so if there's hope

0:01:03.760,0:01:05.799
for her there's hope for almost anybody

0:01:05.799,0:01:07.040
we know that there's certainly

0:01:07.040,0:01:10.159
significant need around the country for

0:01:10.159,0:01:12.840
improveed mental health support um the

0:01:12.840,0:01:16.479
the need for uh better access to Mental

0:01:16.479,0:01:20.520
Health Services uh and Care uh you know

0:01:20.520,0:01:23.200
by the Numbers it was an epidemic before

0:01:23.200,0:01:26.920
the covid-19 pandemic uh but uh Co

0:01:26.920,0:01:28.880
really put a spotlight on the need and

0:01:28.880,0:01:32.759
ex and exacerbated the uh the crisis and

0:01:32.759,0:01:35.399
so um it was with a sense of urgency

0:01:35.399,0:01:37.920
that we uh wanted to raise the

0:01:37.920,0:01:40.280
conversation the priority level uh in

0:01:40.280,0:01:43.760
Congress and particular here in the

0:01:43.760,0:01:46.600
[Music]

0:01:46.600,0:01:49.119
Senate sure well a lot of credit frankly

0:01:49.119,0:01:51.560
goes to uh uh not just my colleague

0:01:51.560,0:01:53.880
Senator Tina Smith on the Democratic

0:01:53.880,0:01:56.039
side but uh my Republican colleagues

0:01:56.039,0:01:59.479
Senator Tillis uh and Senator Ernst the

0:01:59.479,0:02:02.240
four sort of the founding chairs of this

0:02:02.240,0:02:04.880
caucus uh it was important to make it

0:02:04.880,0:02:08.759
part bipartisan uh far too often issues

0:02:08.759,0:02:12.239
uh become very partisan very quickly uh

0:02:12.239,0:02:15.040
and it makes it harder to make progress

0:02:15.040,0:02:17.720
uh as a result but uh you know mental

0:02:17.720,0:02:19.920
health challenges No No Boundaries it's

0:02:19.920,0:02:21.640
not a red State issue it's not a blue

0:02:21.640,0:02:26.400
State issue it's a people issue uh and I

0:02:26.400,0:02:29.200
give them credit for recognizing that uh

0:02:29.200,0:02:31.040
and it was interesting is as soon as we

0:02:31.040,0:02:33.519
approach the conversation about the idea

0:02:33.519,0:02:34.800
the first thing just like you know your

0:02:34.800,0:02:36.840
first question to me uh the first part

0:02:36.840,0:02:39.519
of my response was not statistics and

0:02:39.519,0:02:41.640
you know position papers but personal

0:02:41.640,0:02:44.239
stories personal connections and it's

0:02:44.239,0:02:46.599
become one of the first priorities of

0:02:46.599,0:02:48.920
this caucus so how do we use this as a

0:02:48.920,0:02:53.080
platform for people to share their stor

0:02:53.080,0:02:56.120
uh and in so doing uh both deliver the

0:02:56.120,0:02:58.319
message and maybe a little inspiration

0:02:58.319,0:03:00.480
for anybody out there

0:03:00.480,0:03:02.920
uh to uh to share theirs you know one of

0:03:02.920,0:03:04.640
the big challenges that we have in

0:03:04.640,0:03:07.000
improving uh mental health in America is

0:03:07.000,0:03:09.640
overcoming stigma there's still far too

0:03:09.640,0:03:11.080
many people that are either too

0:03:11.080,0:03:14.360
embarrassed or shy or reluctant to come

0:03:14.360,0:03:16.159
forward and ask for help when they need

0:03:16.159,0:03:18.640
help because of the stigma around mental

0:03:18.640,0:03:22.640
health uh we uh uh are working hard and

0:03:22.640,0:03:24.319
again this is something I learned first

0:03:24.319,0:03:26.640
from my wife Angela uh when somebody

0:03:26.640,0:03:29.280
hurts their leg we don't hesitate to go

0:03:29.280,0:03:30.799
get a check out by a doctor maybe you

0:03:30.799,0:03:33.439
need an x-ray if uh you know you're

0:03:33.439,0:03:35.159
you're suffering from a heart attack

0:03:35.159,0:03:37.560
there's no shame in going to a doctor

0:03:37.560,0:03:39.760
and to a hospital anding the care that

0:03:39.760,0:03:42.400
you need but when it comes to uh when

0:03:42.400,0:03:43.920
something may be wrong with the brain

0:03:43.920,0:03:46.120
you know a very precious organ uh

0:03:46.120,0:03:47.840
there's still that stigma so we need to

0:03:47.840,0:03:50.040
overcome that stigma and a lot of that

0:03:50.040,0:03:53.360
is by uh you know leading by example and

0:03:53.360,0:03:55.319
willing to share our stories and being

0:03:55.319,0:03:59.760
very public about experiences and uh uh

0:03:59.760,0:04:01.120
you know that that's that's one of the

0:04:01.120,0:04:05.280
first goals of the uh of the

0:04:05.570,0:04:08.920
[Music]

0:04:08.920,0:04:11.280
caucus the first thing I point to is our

0:04:11.280,0:04:12.959
the first bill that we've introduced as

0:04:12.959,0:04:16.880
a caucus uh recently the country rolled

0:04:16.880,0:04:21.040
out a 988 system uh similar to 911 but a

0:04:21.040,0:04:24.120
dedicated number easy to remember that

0:04:24.120,0:04:25.960
anybody can call if you need somebody to

0:04:25.960,0:04:28.919
speak to uh if you're in a crisis or

0:04:28.919,0:04:31.479
observe somebody in a crisis uh there's

0:04:31.479,0:04:34.840
somebody available to talk 247 uh in

0:04:34.840,0:04:37.840
English or in Spanish uh or to text with

0:04:37.840,0:04:40.759
247 in English or in Spanish to help

0:04:40.759,0:04:44.240
walk you through uh a uh situation

0:04:44.240,0:04:48.000
whether it's a crisis uh or

0:04:48.000,0:04:52.840
[Music]

0:04:52.840,0:04:56.039
not you know sort of big picture other

0:04:56.039,0:04:59.160
uh priorities for the caucus uh are

0:04:59.160,0:05:00.479
number one

0:05:00.479,0:05:03.560
um you the the safer communities act

0:05:03.560,0:05:07.320
that was uh passed and signed into law

0:05:07.320,0:05:09.520
uh couple years ago now almost two years

0:05:09.520,0:05:13.120
ago now included a huge amount of

0:05:13.120,0:05:15.520
funding for mental health services

0:05:15.520,0:05:17.520
across the country this was the bill

0:05:17.520,0:05:19.720
that came after the shooting in nodi

0:05:19.720,0:05:22.440
Texas uh you know some important pieces

0:05:22.440,0:05:24.639
when it comes to gun safety that were

0:05:24.639,0:05:27.759
approved on a bipartisan basis but this

0:05:27.759,0:05:30.319
investment in mental health uh programs

0:05:30.319,0:05:32.680
is hugely significant so want to make

0:05:32.680,0:05:35.240
sure that those dollars are moving uh

0:05:35.240,0:05:38.199
quickly uh appropriately strategically

0:05:38.199,0:05:41.479
responsibly but uh quickly as well uh

0:05:41.479,0:05:43.600
because of the need that's out there and

0:05:43.600,0:05:45.199
then uh the last piece I'll just mention

0:05:45.199,0:05:47.759
right now is our bipartisan recognition

0:05:47.759,0:05:49.840
of the need to have a plan when it comes

0:05:49.840,0:05:52.479
to Workforce uh if we're encouraging

0:05:52.479,0:05:54.080
more people to seek help when they

0:05:54.080,0:05:57.280
needed uh and uh to overcome the the

0:05:57.280,0:06:00.319
stigma and reluctance uh to seek help

0:06:00.319,0:06:01.600
then we need to make sure that there's

0:06:01.600,0:06:03.880
enough you psychiatrists psychologists

0:06:03.880,0:06:06.360
and counselors therapists and you know

0:06:06.360,0:06:07.919
all the folks who work in the mental

0:06:07.919,0:06:10.120
health space uh to be able to provide

0:06:10.120,0:06:11.800
that support and to provide that level

0:06:11.800,0:06:15.400
of service uh so having a a plan with

0:06:15.400,0:06:18.280
some antenas for a Workforce Development

0:06:18.280,0:06:20.570
uh is another

0:06:20.570,0:06:23.759
[Music]

0:06:23.759,0:06:25.560
priority one of the things that we

0:06:25.560,0:06:28.520
recognize is not uh every person with a

0:06:28.520,0:06:30.960
mental illness is home less not every

0:06:30.960,0:06:33.520
person experiencing homelessness uh has

0:06:33.520,0:06:34.919
a mental illness but there is

0:06:34.919,0:06:37.960
significant significant overlap uh and

0:06:37.960,0:06:40.440
so a lot of the the strategies at the

0:06:40.440,0:06:43.759
Grassroots level will reflect that uh

0:06:43.759,0:06:45.280
you know for all the emphasis there is

0:06:45.280,0:06:47.759
on additional uh need for housing

0:06:47.759,0:06:49.400
particularly affordable housing and

0:06:49.400,0:06:52.120
transitional shelters that is important

0:06:52.120,0:06:54.919
but it's really hard for uh to to bring

0:06:54.919,0:06:57.400
somebody in from the outdoor sustainably

0:06:57.400,0:06:59.199
if we're not also providing the mental

0:06:59.199,0:07:03.200
he support uh that they

0:07:03.200,0:07:06.560
[Music]

0:07:06.560,0:07:08.639
need so funing we'll go to the states

0:07:08.639,0:07:10.479
and we work with the states to uh

0:07:10.479,0:07:12.280
recognize what are the priority areas

0:07:12.280,0:07:14.960
and in California you know not just Los

0:07:14.960,0:07:17.400
Angeles not just San Francisco but from

0:07:17.400,0:07:20.800
San Diego to Sacramento to Fresno I mean

0:07:20.800,0:07:24.039
I I don't know a medium to large siiz

0:07:24.039,0:07:27.120
city that uh doesn't have uh this

0:07:27.120,0:07:29.800
challenge of utilizing Mental Health

0:07:29.800,0:07:34.919
Services uh as a core strategy in uh

0:07:34.919,0:07:37.639
supporting the unhoused population uh uh

0:07:37.639,0:07:40.760
come into affordable

0:07:40.760,0:07:45.039
[Music]

0:07:45.039,0:07:47.440
housing separate from the pocket itself

0:07:47.440,0:07:50.440
I have my own piece of legislation that

0:07:50.440,0:07:52.400
would seek to advance through

0:07:52.400,0:07:56.520
Investments uh a culturally competent

0:07:56.520,0:08:00.039
and linguistically competent Workforce

0:08:00.039,0:08:01.639
as I mentioned earlier with more

0:08:01.639,0:08:03.280
encouraging more people to seek help

0:08:03.280,0:08:04.840
when more people seek help we need to

0:08:04.840,0:08:07.080
make sure that we have the capacity to

0:08:07.080,0:08:09.720
provide that support uh and not just

0:08:09.720,0:08:12.080
more uh doctors and counselors

0:08:12.080,0:08:15.159
therapists Etc but the the workforce

0:08:15.159,0:08:17.400
that uh have the language and cultural

0:08:17.400,0:08:22.160
competency to uh best serve that diverse

0:08:22.160,0:08:25.280
[Music]

0:08:25.280,0:08:27.639
population uh yes so again the the

0:08:27.639,0:08:30.520
funding uh approved through the uh safer

0:08:30.520,0:08:33.560
communities act from uh almost two years

0:08:33.560,0:08:35.680
ago has significant amounts of the

0:08:35.680,0:08:38.760
mental health uh dollars dedicated to

0:08:38.760,0:08:41.800
schools you know it's a uh been a

0:08:41.800,0:08:43.760
longtime effort to try to maintain a

0:08:43.760,0:08:45.560
nurse in every school right whether it's

0:08:45.560,0:08:47.839
Minister medications or you know putting

0:08:47.839,0:08:50.040
you know Band-Aids on pets this is the

0:08:50.040,0:08:52.320
father of three boys speaking you know

0:08:52.320,0:08:54.360
it'd be a dream scenario to have a

0:08:54.360,0:08:56.680
counselor or a therapist uh at every

0:08:56.680,0:08:59.959
school or or ideally even a Wellness

0:08:59.959,0:09:02.800
Center they relatively new Concepts in

0:09:02.800,0:09:04.360
the United States but those that are

0:09:04.360,0:09:06.880
proven to be very helpful to students

0:09:06.880,0:09:09.440
and communities but with resources we

0:09:09.440,0:09:13.079
can uh expand that model uh much sooner

0:09:13.079,0:09:15.440
rather than later

0:09:15.440,0:09:20.059
[Music]