Dear Congress: Ensure Excellence in Mental Health

The following letter was sent to my current Congressional representatives on January 23rd, 2024. 

Letters like these are typically reviewed by Congressional staff members to gauge the opinions of a Representative's constituency and various political topics. Here's a decent overview of how that goes down, written by someone who's read all those letters. Whenever I write Congress, I ensure that the topic is applicable to whatever is on the docket in the upcoming term that requires my representative’s vote.

Dear Congress,

Please support the Ensuring Excellence in Mental Health Act (S.2993) and join with bill sponsor Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and cosponsors Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) to permanently authorize Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics under Medicare and Medicaid to ensure our citizens receive comprehensive access to mental health services.

American citizens deserve access to health care that integrates support for both body and mind.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information in Psychiatric Illness and Criminality (2023) states that "Untreated profound mental illness is particularly significant in cases of homicide—the zenith of the criminal spectrum, and such illness is even more significant for mass murders of strangers." Nashville citizens want to prevent this. Furthermore, North Nashville has the highest incarceration rate per capita in the nation at 14% (Brookings Institution, 2021). These issues are glaring systemic problems in Tennessee, which could be remedied with your support of S.2993.

The Ensuring Excellence in Mental Health Act would make great strides in our efforts to change the above-mentioned statistics at a foundational level and make a significant difference in your district. I urge you to expand access to help more Tennesseans with mental health conditions and receive the care they so desperately need.

Support the Ensuring Excellence in Mental Health Act (S.2993).

I will vote accordingly in our next election,

~ Emily Ann Peterson (Nashville, TN; District #6)

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