The Wolf administration has launched a new statewide campaign to support mental health and to target the stigma surrounding mental illness. The campaign, titled “Reach Out PA: Your Mental Health Matters” also seeks to expand access to mental health care in Pennsylvania.
As part of this campaign, state agencies are committing resources toward eliminating barriers to mental health services. For example, the Department of Health will be working to ensure that individuals enrolled in Medicaid have access to mental health care without prohibitive costs. The Pennsylvania Insurance Department (PID) will be reviewing regulations to ensure that health insurance coverage provides better access to affordable mental health care. PID will also develop educational tools to help patients better understand their mental health benefits and how to access services.
Efforts will be also expanded to train state workers to provide suicide prevention and interventions, help veterans to learn what services are available to them, and build awareness around dementia.
The state agencies involved in this campaign, which also include the Department of Aging, are seeking community feedback on mental health barriers and services. They have developed a survey to collect feedback on Pennsylvanians’ experiences accessing mental health care and their input on how the state can better support mental health needs.
Click here to take the survey and provide your input. The survey can be completed anonymously.
More information about “Reach Out PA: Your Mental Health Matters” is available through the Governor’s website.