Dear friends,

As a trained social worker, I am passionate about the mental health of our communities and our nation. Here are my plans to address mental health care in Congress.

First: Mental health care is health care. Your brain is a part of your body.

Any conversation about mental health must include a real commitment to affordable and accessible health care for every person in this country. I have spent eight years championing health care access in the Nebraska Unicameral, and I am ready to take that fight to Washington.

Do you agree? Chip in $15 →

1. Mental health care for veterans
The rates of PTSD, suicide, and substance abuse among our nation’s veterans are truly unconscionable. We must increase mental health support for the men and women who serve our country, both during active duty and when they come home.

This starts with cutting through red tape to expand the Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers Program, investing in suicide prevention research, and strengthening the VA’s power to fund mental health care – a power that Jeff Fortenberry voted to take away.

2. Expanding the mental health workforce
88 out of 93 counties in Nebraska are experiencing a shortage of mental health care providers. When people have to wait months for an appointment or travel hours to the nearest clinic, our collective mental health suffers. We need to incentivize bright young people to access training and enter the mental health profession, and we need to make Nebraska a place where high-quality providers want to work.

I am committed to strengthening and expanding the RHOP program, which is a partnership between the federal, state, and local governments to alleviate student loans for rural health care providers so they can focus on treating their patients.

3. Ending the stigma
Even when mental health care is accessible, people may still hesitate from seeking help because of the stigma surrounding mental illness and addiction. We need to change the conversation about mental health in this country. There is nothing shameful about seeking help.

If you send me to Washington, I will prioritize mental health care from day one. That is a promise. But with only days left until the final FEC deadline of the campaign, I need your help to get there. Friends, will you contribute $50, $20, or even $5 to elect an advocate for mental health?

Your support means the world to me. Thank you for everything you do.

Sincerely,
Kate Bolz