Investing in mental health and substance use prevention and treatment is vital to saving lives, as well as money. Early interventions can prevent unnecessary costs for the healthcare and justice systems, among others: people with untreated mental illnesses are 4-6 times more likely to be incarcerated than those without – with the average yearly cost of imprisoning an inmate at $25,000, far more than the cost of community treatment. The Mental Health Liaison Group (MHLG) supports policies that provide funding to programs that work with mental health and substance use.
Issue statements from past Congresses appear below. For statements from the current session of Congress, view the appropriations issue statements page.
- MHLG FY 2016 Appropriations Recommendations
- MHLG Thanks Congressmen for Expansion of the Excellence in Mental Health Act, 1.20.16: The Mental Health Liaison Group sent a letter to Congressmen Blunt, Stabenow, Lance, and Matsui thanking them for their expansion of the two-year demonstration project.
- MHLG Critiques ONC Health IT Strategic Plan, 2.5.15: The Mental Health Liaison Group sent a letter to Acting ONC Assistant Secretary DeSalvo suggesting an alteration of their plan to include that behavioral health care settings must receive meaningful use payments to afford EHRs.
- Appropriations Recommendations for FY 2015
- Appropriations Recommendations for FY 2012
- Appropriations Recommendations for FY 2011
- Appropriations Recommendations for FY 2010
- Appropriations Recommendations for FY 2009
- Appropriations Recommendations for FY 2008
- Appropriations Recommendationsfor FY 2007
- Appropriations Recommendationsfor FY 2006
- Appropriations Recommendations for FY 2005
- Appropriations Recommendations for FY 2004
- Appropriations Recommendations for FY 2003
- Appropriations Recommendations for FY 2002