CNN
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A Republican senator was moved to speak in deeply personal terms about the importance of mental health care in America.
Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who is scheduled to take office in January as a ranking member of the influential Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, told CNN’s Pamela Brown, “Every one of us has a family history. . A loved one, a friend, someone you know, who has a serious mental illness.”
For Cassidy, the issue is personal. Her nephew committed suicide decades ago, and the Louisiana senator “is still emotional after all these years. But everyone has such an emotional story.”
As a licensed physician, Cassidy previously worked in hospitals for the uninsured. He stressed the importance of treating mental and physical health together, noting that “having serious mental illness often leads to serious physical illness.”
Last year, the US saw 14 suicide deaths per 100,000 people, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.. Worldwide, nearly 800,000 people die by suicide every year, and in 2020, there were 1.2 million attempts worldwide.
The death of Cassidy’s nephew, along with his work as a physician with vulnerable populations, has made mental health one of his top legislative priorities.
“We have this emotion and there is nothing to be done about it. Or we can say we’re going to try to do something about it,” he told CNN.
In May, Cassidy, along with Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, introduced legislation to expand and improve a bipartisan mental health measure that had expired in September.
“Whether it passes or not, at the end of the year, I can’t tell you that,” Cassidy told CNN. “If not, we will reauthorize it next year.”
As a ranking member, Cassidy will work alongside the committee’s chairman, progressive Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Asked how the couple would find common ground, Cassidy told CNN that while she may disagree with Sanders on the “prescription” for various health care issues, they will likely agree on the “diagnosis.” .
“If it’s something that’s good for the United States of America, I’ll work toward that solution,” Cassidy said.
Editor’s Note: If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health issues, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 800-273-8255 to connect with a trained counselor, or visit 988lifeline.org.
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