CHA Commends Bipartisan, Bicameral Introduction of EARLY Minds Act to Address Youth Mental Health

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) applauds the introduction of the Early Action and Responsiveness Lifts Youth (EARLY) Minds Act, a bipartisan bill aimed at expanding access to mental health care for children and adolescents at the earliest signs of need.

Introduced in the Senate (S. 779) by Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and in the U.S. House of Representatives (H.R. 1735) by Reps. August Pfluger (R-TX), Kathy Castor (D-FL), John Joyce (R-PA) and Kim Schrier (D-WA), the EARLY Minds Act would enable states to use a portion of their Community Mental Health Services Block Grant (MHBG) funds to provide mental health services focused on early detection and treatment, ensuring more children and adults receive support before mental health challenges escalate.

“Proactive early intervention and prevention can dramatically change the trajectory of a child’s life by addressing mental health issues before they escalate,” said Matthew Cook, president and CEO of CHA. “The EARLY Minds Act gives states greater flexibility to make resources available for early detection and prevention services like mental health screenings, educational support for parents, and evidence-based interventions for children facing behavioral health challenges. CHA applauds this bipartisan legislation that will help combat the escalating youth mental health crisis.”

The mental health of America’s youth remains a wide-spread crisis, with 40% of high school students reporting feeling persistently sad and hopeless, and nearly 30% reporting poor mental health in the past year. Additionally, 50% of mental illnesses begin in childhood, making it a critical period to provide support and prevent worsening outcomes for youth. Yet, the current structure of SAMHSA’s most significant investment in the provision of mental health services, the MHBG, cannot currently support the upstream prevention and early intervention children most often need.

The EARLY Minds Act reduces this barrier, giving states more flexibility to invest in mental health services before a child’s condition escalates to a crisis. Further, this legislation would improve transparency and facilitate best practices through reporting on how states make use of this flexibility to support greater access to prevention and early intervention.