John,

I recently read a story about a family that lost a loved one to suicide. He was just fifteen years old.

He was a bundle of joy, but he also struggled with depression and anxiety. He needed help, but help was not easy to find. Now his family is speaking out and calling for better mental health access so other children do not suffer as their child did. They are heroes for speaking out and we should all listen to them.

Here in Iowa and in states across the country, families lack access to mental health care. Mental health needs are still viewed as a stigma, even in this day and age, when we all know people who have struggled or are currently struggling with mental health issues.

And to make matters worse, the pandemic exacerbated the growing mental health crisis, especially for our kids. Study after study has shown that depression and anxiety increased among students during the pandemic.

The growing mental health care crisis is a national emergency and we need to treat it that way.

We need mental health counselors in every K-12 school. We need to make sure all communities have access to mental health care. Rural communities often lack access to basic health care needs, it’s even more difficult to access mental health care.

This must change.

Every student and every family should have access to mental health care. No matter where they live or how much money they have in the bank.

We need to get serious about our mental health crisis. For the families who have lost loved ones and for all the families who need help. We can and we must do better.

Standing Tall for All,

J.D. Scholten