Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro publicly renewed his calls for a $500 million investment in state funding for student mental health initiatives at a National Governors Association roundtable focused on improving youth mental health.
Shapiro was joined by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Delaware Gov. John Carney for the NGA roundtable that was held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
It involved a series of discussions with community activists and elected officials on the frontlines of youth mental health care in what was the fourth of a series of conversations aimed at advancing the NGA chair’s initiative, “Strengthening Youth Mental Health.”
“For too long, there has been a stigma around mental health care — but that’s changing with this generation. Students across the Commonwealth aren’t afraid to talk about their mental health, and that’s what I hear every day,” Shapiro said.
“We need a comprehensive approach to deliver real help for young people struggling with their mental health, and that’s why we need to work with parents, teachers, and mental health professionals to ensure those resources are available. Here in Pennsylvania, I’m proposing a $500 million investment in student mental health — and I look forward to working with Gov. Murphy and my colleagues across the country to get young people the help they need.”
Introduced last July, the “Strengthening Youth Mental Health” initiative was conceived by NGA chair Murphy and is aimed at fostering collaboration between governors in order to develop bipartisan solutions to address the growing youth mental health crisis.
“The youth mental health crisis and the impact it has on our communities is prevalent throughout the country in blue, red and purple states,” Murphy said.
“Today’s convening highlighted the importance of providing parents, caregivers, and educators with the vital training and resources they need to support the youth in their lives,” he said. “As governors, we are committed to working across party lines to develop bipartisan and innovative solutions to address this crisis and get America’s youth the support they deserve.”
The NGA event was just the most recent example of Shapiro’s call for a large state investment in students’ mental health, as earlier this week he visited Hempfield Area High School in Westmoreland County to meet with students and share with them the mental health initiatives in his proposed budget.
In March, Shapiro revealed his proposed budget would include $500 million over the course of the next five years that would go towards school funding for on-site mental health counselors and services, as well as an annual $60 million investment in restoring mental health funding to Pennsylvania counties for community-based mental health services for residents.
“Mental health affects our kids in and out of school — and we need a comprehensive approach to deliver real help across Pennsylvania. That’s why my budget proposes investing half a billion dollars in mental health in our schools over the next five years to give students better access to mental health supports and to help us train more mental health professionals to work these critical jobs. It’s time we listen to young people and deliver the help they need,” said Shapiro in a news release.
