An open letter to Rep. Paul Ryan,
As community organizations that are dedicated to the well-being of your constituency, we write to you as a collective whole to ask you to support your constituents by co-sponsoring your fellow Republican John Katko’s Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2017.
By cosponsoring this bill, you will be demonstrating your understanding of the importance of mental health services not only to individuals, families and communities but also to our economy. Recent research shows: ‘For every dollar spent on improving treatment for depression and anxiety, the return on the investment could be fourfold or higher in terms of increased productivity and health.’ (The Lancet, Volume 3, No.5, May 2016)
Expanding access of our services by authorizing us as Medicare providers is vital to the well-being of constituents not only in your home community but also to citizens across the United States. As such, we strongly urge you to cosponsor H.R. 3032 for both its significant economic benefit and its invaluable help in promoting mental health well-being and functioning for those in need. We would welcome a meeting to include you and representatives from all our agencies to further discuss this issue with you.
Thank you for your consideration on behalf of Associates in Psychotherapy, Attentive Counseling Services, Beloit Counseling Care Center, Compass Behavioral Health Clinic, Crossroads Counseling Center and Stateline Mental Health Services.
TRACY DOUGLAS
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