Senator Catherine Cortez Masto hosted a roundtable in Reno to discuss the mental health support available to young people and their families in Nevada. The senator was joined by representatives from various organizations, including Nevada Children's Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT), Nevada Division of Child and Family Services, Nevada Medicaid, Wraparound in Nevada, Nevada Rural Hospital Partners, and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Western Nevada.

During the discussion, the group highlighted the importance of expanding mental health resources statewide. Senator Cortez Masto emphasized the need for quality and timely mental health care for every Nevadan, especially for young people. She says she is working with colleagues from both sides of the aisle to help make this a reality.

"We've seen the lifesaving support behavioral health crisis services can provide for our youth, and I'm fighting in the Senate to help every Nevadan access quality, timely mental health care," said Senator Cortez Masto. "From expanding the availability of mobile crisis units to getting funding for more mental health professionals, this is not a partisan issue, and I'll keep working with colleagues on both sides of the aisle to help Nevadans get the care they need."

The group also talked about the CAHOOTS Act, which is part of the American Rescue Plan and aims to fund mobile crisis response teams in Medicaid. Additionally, the bipartisan Safer Communities Act provides one billion dollars to school mental health services.

The discussion also focused on expanding wrap-around mental health services for children and families in Nevada. Danielle Meares, the Clinical Program Manager for Children's Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT) in Reno, discussed the Division of Child and Family Services' approach to treating patients and their families. She explained that they personalize services based on each patient's needs, and they work with families to connect them with the right services.

"We work on individualizing services to each person's needs, so rather than just saying, ' Here is a list, ' you need psychiatry services. We're partnering with families to ensure they are getting connected to that service. We're ensuring that that service works, so we take it a few steps further than traditional case management," explained Meares. 

Before the roundtable, we spoke to NAMI Western/Northern Nevada Regional Behavioral Health Coordinator Cherylyn Rahr-Wood. She spoke on the peer programs they have been developing to help youth across Nevada.

"We work hard to bring that peer voice to the table. When you're sitting with a peer who really understands what you've been going through, those stories become easier to tell. That conversation becomes easier to have. You understand those issues and people's strife as that peer. You're able to give that level of support that goes beyond what a therapist can bring you in the sense of that clinical piece; I'm here to support you just as that person, as that whole being," explained Rahr-Wood.

Senator Cortez Masto also highlighted her involvement in creating the nation's 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and legislation to fund virtual peer support services.