NAMI CHICAGO, YOUNG INVINCIBLES FIGHT FOR MENTAL HEALTH FUNDING ON ILLINOIS’ COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES

• Increasing training and awareness among faculty, staff, and students;
• Building better mental health screening to better identify students in need;
• Improving capacity to provide mental health treatment and peer support on campus; and
• creating a statewide Technical Assistance Center to assist in implementation and quality assurance.

Although the MHEACA was signed into law in 2019, it was not funded – leaving colleges and universities who welcomed the new requirements scrambling to create necessary change. “Many students experience their first mental health challenges or crisis during college,” said Rachel Bhagwat, Director of Policy at NAMI Chicago. “They are managing school and work stress, being away from home, and many are in a common age range for mental health conditions to emerge. Illinois students need our support, and NAMI Chicago is determined to secure the funding our colleges and universities need to help them thrive.” Increased mental health support for our college students comes at a crucial time. One third of all college students have been diagnosed with a mental health condition – a 14% increase in the last decade – yet only 25% of college students receive treatment despite serious implications. Research shows that graduation rates are lower for students with mental health conditions, especially for Black, Latinx, and low income students and dropout rates are 2.5x higher. Additionally, 89% of college students reported stress or anxiety due to COVID-19 in the Fall of 2020. “This important step in the longtime advocacy campaign for mental health services on campus would not be possible without the young adults whose voices advanced this fight,” said Lily Rocha, Midwest Regional Director for Young Invincibles. “It is time we fund campus mental health services. This legislation represents a critical investment in the lives and futures of students in Illinois, and NAMI Chicago and YI will continue our advocacy to get it across the finish line. We urge members of the legislature to join us in our fight to expand mental health access to students across Illinois.” House Higher Education Chair Katie Stuart and House Mental Health & Addiction Chair Deb Conroy have also been vital leaders in the fight for campus mental health funding, advancing hearings with State Rep. Ford last fall that laid the groundwork for this bill.

HB5424/SB4055 would fund the Mental Health Early Action on Campus Act by appropriating $19 Million in Fiscal Year 2023 for campus mental health education, supports and screening. Funding would go directly to Illinois’ public colleges and universities, based on figures recommended by the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA). HB5424/SB4055 also requires CGFA to determine future appropriations needed to continue implementing the act in FY24 and beyond.