Access to mental health care was highlighted by the pandemic, and now Massachusetts Senate lawmakers have passed a bill that includes guaranteed annual mental health checks for all patients free-of-charge, among several other reforms. State Senator Julian Cyr, who is the sponsor of the bill, and Dr. Charmain Jackman, founder and CEO of InnoPsych Inc., joined guest host Adam Reilly on Greater Boston to discuss.
Cyr says the bill’s aim is “transforming what mental health care and services look like in Massachusetts. We’re really trying to shed older, dated ways of thinking about mental health… mental health care should be treated just like physical health care.” He says the bill is focused on insurance reform, workforce investment, preventative care, services for incarcerated people and overall expanded access.
Dr. Charmain Jackman noted that Black psychologists are under-represented and make up just 5% of the mental health workforce. She says she is excited by the bill’s focus on cultural competence and to “normalize a career in the mental health field” for people in under-represented groups like herself.
She also praised the bill’s focus on supporting emergency services for adolescents and children. “It pained me whenever I would have to send a child to the emergency room,” she said. “It’s time that we really put some attention to the needs of children and adolescents.”
WATCH: What's in the mental health bill passed by the Massachusetts Senate?
