Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vermont) talks about how natural disasters like flooding affect people’s mental health and how her new bill, the MEND Act, will help flood victims in Vermont. Let’s talk about how it helps.
VARLE, Vermont – Congresswoman Becca Balint is leading an effort to increase mental health services for people affected by the devastating floods that hit Vermont last July.
Balint met with community members in Barre on Monday to introduce the MEND Act. The bill aims to expand mental health services to Vermonters affected by July’s historic flooding. Officials from the Department of Mental Health and Washington County Mental Health Services also joined Balint in introducing the bill.
In addition to the national mental health crisis, states like Vermont are on the front lines of the climate crisis, Balint said. Balint said the MEND Act complements and supports the hard work that communities are already undertaking in the aftermath of disasters.
“The post-disaster recovery period is a time of upheaval for individuals, families and communities,” Balint said. It’s a community that’s parallel to the actual brick-and-mortar rebuilding. ”
The bill would send mental health departments staffed with specialists, counselors, social workers and other trauma-informed professionals to Vermont communities most in need. These task forces, trained and organized through FEMA, will spend two years in a given community.
The MEND Act will also include important research to better understand the impact of disasters on mental health, drug use, and alcohol use disorders.
