The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) has announced the formation of a task force aimed at addressing what it describes as a severe crisis in youth mental health and addiction. The task force, chaired by four former members of Congress and ex-governors, seeks to create a national strategy to combat this issue.
In a press release issued by the BPC, it was stated that the BPC Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Task Force will work towards developing evidence-based recommendations. These proposals will be presented to Congress and the Biden Administration with the aim of reducing undetected and unaddressed mental health and substance use problems among young people.
The same press release reveals that the task force is led by former Gov. Steve Beshear (D-Ky.), Former Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.), former Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.) and former Rep. and Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio).
The BPC also announced other members of the task force in its press release. They include Noopur Agarwal, Vice President of Social Impact at MTV; Jim Carroll, former Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy; Sandy Chung, past President of the American Academy of Pediatrics; Kana Enomoto, former Acting Administrator at SAMHSA and ex-Senior Advisor at the Department of Health and Human Services; Patrice Harris, previous President of the American Medical Association; Amy Kennedy, Co-founder of The Kennedy Forum; Angela Kimball, Senior Vice President of Advocacy and Public Policy at Inseparable; and Vikki Wachino, former Deputy Administrator and Director at the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services within Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Additionally, according to BPC's press release, an honorary congressional working group comprising three members of Congress is also part of the task force: Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.).
Kasich is quoted in the press release as saying, "There is so much complexity in our health care system, from how many providers we train, to how and where they are allowed to practice, to how they are paid – and so little of it is designed with children and youth in mind. We need to invest in policies that will reshape the future of health care delivery for youth and their caregivers."
