Bolinsky Supports Legislation On Early Mental Health Detection & Treatment

The authors of the legislation pictured from left to right next to the final vote tally board: State Rep. Diana Urban, State Sen. Dante Bartolomeo, State Rep. Whit Betts, myself and State Rep. DebraLee Hovey.

HARTFORD- State Rep. Mitch Bolinsky of Newtown worked with a bipartisan group of legislators on a bill designed to improve the emotional and mental health of children in an attempt to avoid another community tragedy like Sandy Hook, as well as a structured approach to prevention on an individual family basis.

The measure hopes to detect behavioral problems at an early age and then begin early intervention to prevent any issues from worsening.

“Finding proper, timely care for children and the families that love them can be difficult in a long-running battle that often involves several differing opinions on treatment options.  Diagnoses can sometimes be inappropriate or incorrect because many families and pediatricians have some level of unfamiliarity with conditions and treatments.  Add to that the complications of dealing with private and supplemental insurance coverage constraints and sometimes, the obstacles can seem almost insurmountable.  I think the bill will provide Connecticut families relief and help them do a better job working with their children’s’ special needs and navigate through the maze,” said Rep. Bolinsky.

The bipartisan bill leverages the proposed Office of Early Childhood to coordinate a system of voluntary in-home-visitations to diagnose and help identify appropriate intervention strategies and treatments, as needed.  These services would be implemented for families with children who suffer from severe depression, substance abuse challenges or special health care needs. Experts consider home visitation programs to be important resources for preventing problems and intervening early.

The bill also calls for increased training in mental health and child development for pediatricians and child care providers. There would also be more training for mental health providers in understanding and treating trauma, which is considered a major cause of preventable mental illness.

The bill also establishes an 11-member task force to study the effects of nutrition, genetics, and psychotropic drugs on Connecticut children’s mental, emotion, and behavioral health. The task force must report its findings and recommendations to the Children’s Committee by September 30, 2014 and terminate on October 1, 2014.

A recent report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported as many as 20 percent of American children suffer with a mental health disorder annually — translating into an estimated 7 million to 12 million children.  “It’s time to address this most serious of public health and crises.  Now!” concluded Bolinsky.