Secretaries Cardona and Becerra Pen Joint Letter to Governors on Mental Health

Today, June 16, 2023, Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, and Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, sent a letter to governors regarding steps taken by their respective agencies to address mental health among young people. The letter outlines initiatives that were supported through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a law enacted last spring to address mental health and gun violence.

“We write today to reaffirm our commitment to working with you to promote a whole-of-government approach to enhance supportive services for young people impacted by gun violence, and to ensure every young person feels safe, supported, and welcome in their community and school,” the Secretaries wrote. Among their accomplishments to date are additional investments in the school mental health professionals pipeline and targeted funds to high-needs districts through a new Stronger Connections Grant Program that can be used for school mental health services, safety and violence prevention and intervention programs, and physical security measures. Additional measures include addressing trauma and enhancing community mental health support.

Upon submission of the letter, Cardona remarked, “The Biden-Harris administration will continue working to break down silos between education and health care, raise the bar for our support of students’ mental health and wellbeing, and ensure our schools are safe havens for teaching and learning.”

To view the letter, go here.