Amanda Dodson first noticed signs of the I Matter pilot program at her 10-year-old daughter Haley’s school. As a result of her research, she was able to get Haley to see a therapist for free to help address her diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Dodson said her experience changed her life. Haley can talk about her own experiences and learn her coping skills by visiting her therapist, playing games, and eating snacks.
“The therapist even follows up with us as parents and summarizes what we’re working on together. And at this point, it’s like a family effort to make sure she gets the support she needs. I feel it,” Amanda Dodson said.
Colorado has become the first state in the nation to provide all students with free access to mental health care after lawmakers made the “I Matter” program permanent. Students can receive up to six free therapy sessions by filling out a form at imattercolorado.org and can contact their case manager if they need additional care.
Since 2021, the I Matter pilot has enabled nearly 12,000 Colorado youth to access more than 50,000 free therapy sessions in 63 of the state’s 64 counties.
State Sen. Daphna Michaelson Jennette, D-Commerce City, helped launch the pilot and believes the program will continue to help young people get back on track.
“Our children are struggling in ways that other generations are not struggling, and it is our duty to recognize the need for and be able to provide therapeutic help and support.” Jennette said.
A recent Healthier Colorado/Inseparable poll found that 9 out of 10 Colorado voters strongly support making mental health services available for free to struggling youth. Ta. Dodson said making the “I Matter” program permanent shows the state takes mental health seriously.
“I was so excited to see ‘I Matter’ happening and being promoted. I’m happy to be a part of this program and I really hope everyone has the same opportunity,” she said. continued.
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Virginia is stepping up mental health care during and after Mental Health Month.
Since the pandemic, the need for behavioral health services has increased significantly, especially among young people. Social media and pandemic-era isolation have contributed to the ongoing mental health crisis among young people.
Bruce Kreuser, executive director of the Virginia Department of Mental Health, said a ripple effect of the pandemic has been a reduction in the stigma surrounding mental health.
“More and more people are willing to talk about their mental illness and the fact that they’re not feeling well,” Kruther said. “It’s a good thing that more people are opening up about this issue and more people are asking for help when they need it. So that’s a good thing. The bad thing is there’s so much need.”
The state has made progress in funding mental health services. Virginia’s new budget increases child mental health funding by about $2.5 million to $15 million in 2025 and 2026, but many other funding lines will be reduced, redirected, or eliminated. It has been.
Although states are expanding their service offerings, barriers to accessing services remain. Kruther pointed out that there are many reasons people don’t get the help they need, beyond the prejudice that exists in certain communities.
“For some people, it’s going to be costly because they may not have insurance or may not know about the insurance options available to them,” Kruther acknowledged. “But even with insurance, there can be high copays and things like that. But the other thing is the availability of services.”
The federal Health Resources and Services Administration has designated all of Virginia a mental health professional shortage area, and other reports have found that few areas of the state have nearly adequate youth behavioral health services.
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Georgia is tackling mental health care challenges head-on through new legislation.
One of the bills aims to increase the number of providers in the state: Senate Bill 480 would provide loan repayment assistance to mental health professionals who choose to work in underserved areas.
Rep. Sharon Cooper (R-Marietta) highlighted the state’s access situation, noting that 12 of the 18 public health districts are located in rural areas. She said her goal is to ensure everyone has equal access to mental health services.
“Georgia is severely understaffed at all levels to deal with the various aspects of mental illness, including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and marriage and family providers,” Cooper said. Ta.
According to the Rural Information Hub, most regions in Georgia struggle to have enough mental health providers. The data shows that out of 159 counties, only six have no shortages and only two have only a portion of their county in a shortage.
Mr. Cooper detailed the multifaceted challenges Georgia faces in mental health care, citing historic underinvestment and rapid population growth as contributing factors to the current shortage. She described the evolution of mental health care policy in Georgia, including previous legislative efforts to promote parity between mental and physical health care.
“We’re trying to make up for past mistakes, and we’re trying to do what’s right for the mentally ill, and we’re trying to equate their illness with people who might have gallbladder or heart disease,” Cooper said. he added.
Cooper noted that 19 bills were signed into law in the past legislative session to increase the state’s ability to address mental and behavioral health needs. Other legislation includes SB 373, which helps provide expedited licensing for marriage and family therapists.
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New York’s 2025 Budget will improve access to mental health services.
The budget law states that private insurance companies must pay Medicaid-like rates for in-network and out-of-network behavioral health services.
Treatment is available to many adults in New York, but young people are not able to access it due to insurance coverage.
Matthew Shapiro, senior director of government relations for the New York state chapter of the National Federation of Mental Illness, said people are happy that this will expand access to often limited mental health services.
“We hear from people all the time that they can’t access care, they can’t find a psychiatrist, they can’t find a social worker, they can’t find someone to prescribe medication,” Shapiro said. “That can be very difficult, especially in areas of upstate New York where these services are not readily available.”
Some insurance companies responded by raising premiums for their customers. Shapiro said he hopes this will solve a long-standing problem with accessing mental health care.
According to a report from the state attorney general’s office, 86% of listed in-network mental health providers are either unavailable, out of network, or not accepting new patients. It was a raft.
The budget allocates millions of dollars for new inpatient psychiatric beds across the state and other programs to increase mental health support for emergency personnel.
But Shapiro pointed out that other insurance company barriers prevent New Yorkers from receiving the best mental health care possible.
“It’s very important that these people receive the drugs that their doctors think are best for them and their individual symptoms as soon as possible,” Shapiro says. “So it eliminates things like fail-fast procedures and so-called step-up procedures.”
He added that such policies could significantly slow an individual’s recovery.
A 2024 study found that as a result of this policy, 1 in 5 adults needed to visit an emergency room or be hospitalized for a first-time failure.
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