As Students Face a Growing Mental Health Crisis, Underwood Secures Funds to Increase School-Based Mental Health Services

WEST CHICAGO – Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14) announces $111 million in the federal budget to support grants to help schools in their efforts to address mental health challenges facing students, families, and staff that have been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Across the country, millions of students have had to adapt to pandemic-related disruptions at school and at home, along with missed life milestones and increased levels of stress, isolation, and trauma.

Underwood led a bipartisan effort to address the worsening youth mental health crisis by securing the maximum possible funding for two programs at the Department of Education, the Mental Health Services Professional Demonstration Grants program and the School-Based Mental Health Services Grants program, in the Fiscal Year 2022 federal spending package. Together, these programs address the critical shortage of school-based mental health professionals in two essential ways: by increasing the available school-based mental health workforce, and by helping school districts hire more staff to improve access to services.  

"Countless students, families and teachers have told me about the dire need for greater mental health supports at school," said Underwood. "I am proud to have worked in a bipartisan way to secure $111 million—the maximum allowable funding—to strengthen programs that will improve mental wellbeing for our young people and their communities."

The United States' growing youth mental health crisis has been exacerbated by the pandemic and could have wide-ranging, long-term effects on an entire generation. From 2007 to 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that suicide rates among young Americans increased 56 percent. Suicide is currently the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-24, and the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to accelerate these tragic trends. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek H. Murthy issued an advisory on the need to act and protect youth mental health.

Underwood has been a long advocate for youth mental health measures and launched a behavior health resource page on her website for community members. Visit here to find support.

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