Dear Friend,

Mental health care is health care. Period. Undiagnosed or untreated mental illness can cause physical ailments, and result in lost work and overall poor health. Right now, we are not doing enough to address the rising rates of mental illnesses among children and adults, a problem the coronavirus pandemic has made even more urgent. I want to stress that if you’re feeling overwhelmed, worried, or afraid (or frankly, all three), you are not alone. 

I’ve been fighting to improve mental health care throughout my time in Congress. I’ve redoubled my efforts during this pandemic, as we’ve seen an unprecedented surge in mental health issues like depression, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicide. I’m pleased to report that earlier this month, my colleagues on the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing where two of my bipartisan bills on mental health were discussed. As the House of Representatives continues to consider legislation and hold votes, I am eager to move these ideas into law.

The coronavirus is attacking our mental health, as well as our physical health. Our communities, which are already cash-strapped right now, need every tool they can get to stop a second pandemic -- a mental health pandemic -- from devastating our country. So, I introduced the Stopping the Mental Health Pandemic Act to strengthen the ability of mental health providers to deliver care to our community during the pandemic. 

I’ve also introduced legislation that will make mental health care less expensive and easier to get. My Mental Health Parity Compliance Act would hold big insurance companies accountable for following an existing requirement that they treat mental health care as equal to other types of medical care. As long as mental health services are considered less important than other health care services, people struggling with mental illness in Orange County and across the country will face unnecessary barriers to getting potentially life-saving care.

As a parent to three school-age kids, I’m especially concerned about our country’s pediatric mental health crisis. Back in February, I brought Dr. Heather Huszti, Chief Psychologist at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC), as my guest to the State of the Union. I wanted to shed light on the need to provide mental health care to our kids. I first met Dr. Huszti when I toured CHOC’s pediatric inpatient facility and learned about the full range of care available to pediatric and adolescent patients. We are fortunate in Orange County to have top-notch medical facilities staffed by some of the best health care workers.



Last year, Dr. Heather Huszti (right) gave me a tour of the pediatric inpatient facility at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County so I could see how CHOC is meeting the mental health needs of our community.

Now more than ever, it is crucial that Orange County families are able to get the comprehensive mental and physical health care they need. If you haven’t already, I encourage you to take a look at my Mental Health Resources Town Hall with Dr. Huszti and Dr. Yujuan Choy, the Chief Psychiatrist at the University of California, Irvine Counseling Center, which covers mental health resources available to Orange County families during this pandemic. If you need immediate assistance, please take a look at this list of resources that are available now.


          Very truly yours,

          Katie Porter
          Member of Congress