PITTSBURGH (PTTP) – On Feb. 12, 2024, State Rep. Michael Schlossberg (D., Lehigh) proposed a legislative bill that would grant nearly $100 million to schools to aid in the fight against mental health conditions of students. The House of Representatives are set to meet later this month in Harrisburg, PA to vote on the bill.
Schlossberg’s bill will grant money to schools in Pennsylvania to complete mental health screenings with an initial focus on students in grades six through twelve. Schools will then be able to take the results from the screenings and provide aid to any student that is at risk of various mental health conditions. The money will also be used to allow schools to expand their staffing as well as help them collaborate more closely with various community resources. Similar programs across the state are seeing success and Schlossberg hopes to bring this to Pennsylvania as mental health conditions continue on the rise.
According to the bill, an estimated 98,000 people in Pennsylvania between the ages of 12-17 are diagnosed with depression and more than half of the kids are not receiving treatment. Sadly, an all-time high of over 2,000 lives were lost to suicide in 2021 in Pennsylvania alone. The importance of this bill is highlighted as nearly 450,000 adults struggle with serious mental illness, and approximately half were diagnosed before the age of 14.
If you are experiencing difficult thoughts, you can dial 988 on your phone, or to learn more about this bill and suicide prevention, visit:
Credit: pahouse.com
Credit: CBS News