For Immediate Release: July 31, 2015
Contact: Gretchen Andersen 202.225.2301

(Washington D.C.) – As lawmakers from districts across the country continue to line up support behind Congressman Murphy’s  bipartisan Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, H.R. 2646, constituents back home are raising their voices for Congress to take action. 

From writing Letters to the Editor in The Tampa Tribune to authoring op-eds for The News-Press, H.R. 2646 is quickly galvanizing support from families who care for loved ones with severe mental illness. The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act includes numerous provisions that help provide treatment before tragedy, including a focus on early intervention and prevention, fixing the broken HIPAA privacy rule, increasing the number of psychiatric beds and providers, and funding assisted outpatient treatment programs.

On Tuesday, Rep. Murphy took to the House floor to express his anger with Congress keeping silent on moving his mental health reform legislation. Following the tragedy in Lafayette, Louisiana that took the lives of three people, including the gunman, and wounding seven others, it has been reported that the perpetrator had a history of mental illness, violence, and arrest. Click here to watch the speech.

“Yesterday we had a moment of silence to convey our respect and prayers. But as a House we must break the silence because once again we failed the American people with our broken mental health system. How many more people have to die before we take action?” asked Murphy.

With 102 co-sponsors, H.R. 2646 has gained support from across the country from national organizations including the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Treatment Advocacy Center, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Psychological Association and American Psychiatric Association. Nationwide support for the legislation has come from newspaper editors, physicians, and parents of children with mental illness. More information can be found here.

Son’s Suicide Preventable With Right Treatment, Help
July 28, 2015

“Families for decades have had to work within the constraints of our broken, dysfunctional mental health system that fails the sickest — those people who need treatment the most, but are too sick to recognize their illness and refuse treatment. This bill addresses the obstacles families face when trying to save loved ones from untreated serious mental illness. Mental illness is treatable. Had H.R. 2646 been law during my son’s 13-year struggle with severe bipolar disorder, his family would have been able to help him get treatment. He might very well be alive today.” – Dottie Pacharis, The News-Press

Letter of the Day: Helping those trapped in the hell of their own minds
July 25, 2015

“This landmark, society-changing piece of legislation will give much-needed help to individuals trapped in the hell of their own minds. The bill would curb gun violence by the mentally ill, reduce the homeless population, provide beds for the mentally ill in hospitals, and stop the disgraceful practice of warehousing our mentally ill in prison. H.R. 2646 deserves your support. Call your member of Congress today.”— Wayne Hilton, The Tampa Tribune

SMS Assist To Support Drug Addiction Awareness For Local Youth
July 23, 2015

“The foundation also is committed to helping pass H.R. 2646, the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act, which is designed to empower parents and caregivers. The bill will allow families to work with doctors and mental health professionals to be meaningful partners in the front-line care delivery team, protecting health care providers who disclose necessary medical information to family members during times of crisis.” — Megan Craig, Chicago Tribune
 

Psychiatry Facing Severe Manpower Crisis
July 31, 2015 

"A bill introduced this spring called the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2015 would create a nationwide strategy to boost the psychiatric workforce." — Robert Lowes, Medscape.com

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In his seventh term representing Pennsylvania’s 18th congressional district encompassing suburban Pittsburgh including parts of Allegheny, Washington, Westmoreland and Greene Counties, Rep. Tim Murphy also serves as a Commander in the Navy Reserve Medical Service Corps as a psychologist treating Wounded Warriors with post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury.