Bucshon praises Helping Families Act as Hamilton Center honors him
Tribune-Star (Terre Haute, IN)Jul 27, 2016
"She was a friend," he told a room full of Hamilton Center employees and guests. "Her mother had a history of schizophrenia. She subsequently got married and had a couple children. Then in her mid to late 20s, she ended up on the street with schizophrenia herself. Her husband divorced her ... and a lot of us tried to do some things to help her."
Bucshon, who grew up in
"That's a barrier to [mental health] care, a lack of understanding," he pointed out.
The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, described by Hamilton Center as "a comprehensive overhaul of the nation's mental health treatment system," passed the
"I'm really excited about that," Bucshon told a room full of Hamilton Center employees and guests. "That is going to happen."
Bucshon worked with Rep.
"I understand the importance of moving forward on improving what we do at the federal level as it relates to severe mental illness," Bucshon said. "We need to get everyone to understand that there doesn't have to be a stigma associated with mental illness. I tell people all the time, it's just like if you have appendicitis, you have appendicitis. If you have mental health issues, you have mental health issues. They're both medical issues that need to be properly addressed."
Bucshon said one improvement that should be noticed if the bill becomes law is expanding access to patient beds "for people who have acute mental illness crises."
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Following the recognition ceremony, Bucshon told the
"I think everybody is recognizing that we need to get rid of the stigma of mental illness and realize that it is a disease, just like any other medical problem," he elaborated, "and then effectively treat these patients so that they can live productive, happy lives. This legislation is a step in that direction."
Hamilton Center chief executive officer
"I sent out an email to our leadership team that said, 'We have to bring him here to let him know that we who serve mental health ... appreciate the battle he's been fighting," Burks told the room full of supporters.
"This act is starting to open up the door for people to understand that those who are experiencing mental illness matter. Their lives matter."
In addition to discussing
Bucshon's reply: "The country is 240 years old and we're still the best country, to my mind, in the world. I have full confidence in the American people and that's all I'll say about it. We'll see what happens."
Bucshon, who was first voted into
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