On Tuesday, Governor Tim Walz signed into law a piece of legislation that will give $93 million in funding to mental health programs across the state.
The funding is set to increase hospital bed capacity, attract new mental health care professionals, expand the use of mobile crisis services, and add resources for children dealing with mental health issues.
The executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Sue Abderholden, shared that the bill will look to address issues exacerbated by the pandemic.
"Prior to the pandemic, our fragile mental health system barely met the needs of children and adults who struggled with their mental health," Abderholden said while also noting the need for help has grown.
The legislation was a bipartisan effort, and Walz praised the work done across the aisle but also noted that it should be something addressed often.
"I think that this is never, to be honest, a job done, but a job in progress all the time," Walz said.
The president and CEO of Children's Hospital and Clinics of Minnesota, Dr. Marc Gorelick, also spoke on the move from Walz, saying that it is needed now more than ever.
The funding will help open a new mental health unit with 22 beds to help assist children and teens in need.
"In 2020, we saw a 30% increase in the number of kids coming to our emergency departments…with mental health crises," Gorelick said.
Gorelick, a pediatric emergency medicine specialist in Minneapolis, said that the emergency room is not the best place for someone in crisis.
Thanks to the new unit, the pediatrician predicts that they will be able to serve close to a thousand teens and kids in need each year.
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