Ayotte Honored by National Mental Health Group

U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte, R-NH, was honored earlier this week by the National Council for Behavioral Health for her efforts to strengthen the nation’s mental health system.  The Council presented Ayotte with the 2013 Legislator of the Year Award, citing her work in support of the Mental Health First Aid Act (S. 153) – bipartisan legislation she introduced in January with Senator Mark Begich (D-AK) that would promote mental health first aid training in communities throughout the country.

“Senator Ayotte has made strengthening our nation’s mental health system a top priority – introducing bipartisan legislation that would improve mental health first aid training in communities in New Hampshire and across the nation,” said Roland Lamy, Jr., Executive Director of the New Hampshire Community Behavioral Health Association, who presented the award.  “Her legislation has broad bipartisan support, and we are pleased to recognize her efforts with the 2013 Legislator of the Year Award.”

In April, the Senate voted 95 to 2 in favor of a bipartisan amendment – the Mental Health Awareness and Improvement Act, also cosponsored by Ayotte – that included key provisions of the Ayotte-Begich Mental Health First Aid Act.  The Ayotte-Begich legislation would provide support for training programs to help the public identify, understand, and address crisis situations safely. The legislation also calls for protocols to increase familiarity with mental health services available in local communities. The measure would provide grants for mental health awareness training programs for groups of individuals such as teachers, first responders, police officers, school and college administrators, veterans, and nurses.

Ayotte is also a cosponsor of the bipartisan Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Act (S. 162) - focused on providing training and resources for law enforcement and other community partners to help them identify individuals with mental health issues and make sure they receive proper treatment.