Presidential Document2024-09819
National Mental Health Awareness Month, 2024
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
May 3, 2024
Signed
April 30, 2024
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 87 (Friday, May 3, 2024)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 87 (Friday, May 3, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 36661-36662]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-09819]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 87 / Friday, May 3, 2024 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 36661]]
Proclamation 10739 of April 30, 2024
National Mental Health Awareness Month, 2024
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
During National Mental Health Awareness Month, we
recognize the bravery and resilience of the tens of
millions of Americans living with mental health
conditions, and we show our gratitude for the dedicated
mental health professionals and devoted loved ones who
stand by them every step of the way. Mental health care
is health care, and my Administration will ensure that
every American has the care they need to thrive--we
have your back.
Being able to get health care when you need it is
essential to living a full, productive, and healthy
life--that goes for mental health care too. Mental
health care can help people find joy and purpose;
ensuring they have access to the care they need is
about dignity. But for millions of Americans, mental
health care is out of reach. In 2020, less than half of
all adults with a mental illness diagnosis received
care for it. It is worse for kids--nearly 70 percent of
children who need mental health care cannot get it.
Imagine being a parent searching for a way to help
their child but never finding it, no matter how hard
they look. This is an all-too-common experience as many
Americans face mental health challenges: Two in five
adults report experiencing anxiety or depression, and
suicide is a leading cause of death among young people.
We know that mental health treatment works, but we need
to make it more accessible and affordable for all
Americans.
That is why, as President, I have taken steps to
dramatically expand access to mental health care in
America. I signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities
Act--the largest investment in youth mental health
ever, and we are investing $1 billion of that funding
to help schools across the country hire and train new
mental health counselors. We also added more than 140
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics across
the Nation, which serve everyone regardless of their
ability to pay and provide a range of services,
including 24-hour crisis support. We launched 988, the
Nationwide Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which anyone
can call, text, or chat to be connected to a trained
crisis counselor. Further, my Administration developed
new resources to support the mental health and
resilience of frontline workers; expanded Medicare
coverage to include additional substance use disorder
services and expand mental health services; made it
easier for schools to leverage Medicaid to deliver
mental health care to millions of children and youth;
and invested in mental health programs that help
service members and veterans as well as their families,
caregivers, and survivors.
We are also working to ensure full mental health parity
so that mental health care is covered the same as
physical health care. We have proposed requiring health
insurance plans to identify the gaps in the mental
health care they provide, and if they find they are not
covering mental health care on par with physical health
care, to make changes to fix it. Finally, we are taking
action to ensure that State and local government
employees have the same mental health parity
protections as millions of other Americans who get
health insurance from their jobs, which is why we are
working to close loopholes so these dedicated public
servants can more easily access
[[Page 36662]]
the mental health care they need with fewer limits on
care and lower co-pays.
At the same time, my Administration is working to end
the opioid and overdose epidemic by cracking down on
fentanyl trafficking and increasing public health
efforts to save lives. This month, we celebrate the
absolute courage of the Americans in recovery and
reaffirm our commitment to care for those suffering.
My Administration will also keep fighting to end the
youth mental health crisis--and that means addressing
social media's contributions to it. I continue to call
on the Congress to restrict the personal data that
companies collect, ban advertising that targets minors,
and take action to ensure that social media platforms
prioritize the health and safety of our Nation's
children.
Each one of us has a role to play in changing the
narrative and ending the stigmatization of mental
health issues. We can start by showing compassion so
everyone feels free to ask for help and learning the
warning signs of emotional distress and suicide. If you
are facing a crisis, dial 988 to reach the National
Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. If you are a new or
expecting mother, you can call 1-833-TLC-MAMA for
confidential advice on mental health from a
professional. If you are feeling overwhelmed or just
need someone to talk to, ask your health care provider,
contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP,
or visit <a href="http://FindSupport.gov">FindSupport.gov</a>. To anyone struggling with
mental health, know that you are not alone. As
Americans, we have a duty of care to reach out to one
another and leave no one behind. We are all in this
together.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2024 as
National Mental Health Awareness Month. I call upon
citizens, government agencies, private businesses,
nonprofit organizations, and other groups to join in
activities and take action to strengthen the mental
health of our communities and our Nation.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
eighth.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2024-09819
Filed 5-2-24; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P
</pre></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on May 3, 2024.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.