And to ask you to help send a powerful message to our elected officials who don’t seem to get it—they need to start doing their jobs and taking action. This is important. You are receiving this email as one of Alexandra’s most engaged followers. If you no longer wish to receive emails or updates, please click the “unsubscribe” link below. Hi John, During this extraordinarily tragic moment in American history, when we face a series of unprecedented crises, some of our elected leaders believe now is the time to think small, without analyzing the complexity of what confronts us—or, in the case of Philly Mayor Jim Kenney, to throw your hands up in exasperation and do nothing at all. Now is the time to demand big thinking and big action. The safety of our children and of women, Black America, working families, trans people, LGBTQIIA+ people—ALL of us—demands complex legislation and nuanced solutions backed and led by evidence. We can no longer ignore, justify, or excuse our elected officials for their simple-mindedness or their inaction. A quick fix isn’t the answer to ending gun violence, but there is a lot that can be done to make us a safer and healthier society. I hope you will take a moment to read the op-ed I wrote for the Philadelphia Inquirer. I made a promise to hold our elected officials accountable—now, I’m delivering: Let’s go forward together. The role of mental health in gun violence isn't simple, and there is no quick fix By: Alexandra Hunt July 7, 2022 A few years ago, while working as an EMT in Plymouth Meeting, I got a call for a mental health crisis that I still remember. Police arrived first. We were told the patient had a weapon so we weren’t allowed into the home. I eventually pushed past them and found the patient, a 16-year-old Black boy, clutching his weapon — a book. The boy’s mother said that her son hadn’t been taking his psychiatric medicine, but she was at her rope’s end working multiple jobs and couldn’t offer the care he needed. We took him to the hospital for an assessment and to get medication. I sat in the back of the ambulance, and he and I talked; we created a plan for the next time he felt like no one was on his side (he would go talk to his grandpa). I hugged him goodbye, and he told me he wished he always had someone like me to talk to. But all I did was listen and try to come up with a plan that worked for him. I think about that call a lot, as each new episode of gun violence — this time, the mass shooting in Highland Park, Ill., and the shots fired on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on July Fourth — renews calls to examine our nation’s mental health crisis. I never stop wondering what might have happened if I hadn’t pushed past the police that night to get to that boy, so I could discover that he didn’t, in fact, have a weapon. The recently passed bipartisan gun violence bill leans heavily into funding mental health services but is very light on recognizing that there is not one single mental health care crisis — each person’s mental health needs are unique, and there are thousands, if not millions, of people in need of individualized care. One size does not fit all, yet that’s how we legislate and educate and medicate. By adding mental health investments to gun violence prevention measures, the bill also creates a false correlation between mental health and violent tendencies, rather than setting the expectation that millions will simply get the care — often long term — they need and deserve. I’ve personally experienced the expectation that there is a quick and easy “cure” for mental health crises. A few years ago, my former partner began threatening to stalk me if we ever broke up. With the help of Congreso, a Kensington nonprofit that helps residents in largely Latino neighborhoods, I moved out of the house we’d bought together into my own apartment and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). I was working in clinical research at the time and did not have enough sick days to take off, so I kept working while receiving treatment. I wasn’t my usual self. Many of my colleagues would startle me just by walking up to me (a common symptom of PTSD), and my jumpiness made them jump. I would have nightmares and difficulty sleeping, so I was tired at work. I also had difficulty focusing and was fighting through a lot of brain fog. Once a week, I took an extended lunch to see my therapist. I was denied a request to work from home once a week, to be close to my emotional support dog, Rocky. My team lead, frustrated with my treatment schedule and accommodation requests, asked me, “When do you think you will get better?” When it comes to mental health, people want a quick, easy fix, and when they don’t get it, they get frustrated (like my former employer) or just give up. What if one of the millions of people who receive mental health care under the new gun violence bill becomes a mass shooter? Critics will again falsely link mental health to violence, saying pouring more money into mental health and early intervention is a waste, and that it isn’t “curing” people. The goal of increased funding for mental health care must center on catching more people in need of care who are slipping through the cracks. More funding is good, but only if it comes with realistic expectations that do not put the onus on the sick to get better, and recognizes that different people need different treatment that is tailored to them. Mental health care isn’t the “cure” for mass shootings, but it is a step in the right direction for a healthier America. Alexandra is working hard to hold our elected officials accountable and to ensure they pass legislation that protects our rights and puts working families first. It’s time to make sure our leaders keep their promises. Let’s come together and make it happen—for ALL of us. Please make a $5 contribution to stand with Alexandra in support of legislation that safeguards our rights, our access to healthcare and housing, and our safety—in schools, in public spaces, and everywhere we want to be—it’s time for a healthier, happier America for All. And that matters. CONTRIBUTE FOLLOW ALEXANDRA ON Paid for by Friends of Alexandra Hunt Alexandra M. Hunt | P.O. Box 5615, Philadelphia, PA 19129 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected] in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!