In the early afternoon of April 18, 2022, I received a phone call which I will never forget. A close friend of mine, who is rarely seen without a smile, was in tears and told me that my former classmate, teammate, and friend had passed away. I soon learned the cause of his death had been from suicide. The shock and pain of his passing is one that is felt by many, and should be a wake up call to just how important mental health services can be for every single person in our lives. Oftentimes people can be hesitant to speak to others about mental health issues because they feel like they may not understand what they are going through. For this reason, I am strongly advocating for the passing of bill SB 370 by the Connecticut legislature. This bill requires peer-run respite centers across the state of Connecticut. These centers will give people who are experiencing a mental health crisis access to other people around the same age who have experienced similar, or the same, instances and have overcome their tribulations. Having access to others who can truly understand these complicated feelings you are having or the situation your life is in can save a person’s life. A study conducted in the Los Angeles area of peer-run respite centers for people aged 16-24 showed that, given access to peer-run centers, there was an increased use in outpatient mental services by this age demographic. Carson McKinnon In these peer-run centers, there are 3-5 people ages 18-24 who must complete 300 hours of certification training with 200 hours of practice providing mental health services. After their certification is complete, they are able to be hired through the county’s department of mental health. The purpose of these centers choosing people that are so young to help provide mental health care is to reimagine mental health access for youth in the area. It also aims to change who is able to provide services and where. Mental health is now, more than ever, a major issue in the world. In the United States alone, it is estimated that nearly 50 million people struggle with a form of mental health issue. While Connecticut is on the lower side in terms of residents dealing with these issues, there is still an estimated 18.85% of the state population that struggles with their mental health. In an annual poll conducted within the Connecticut high school system, 70% of students felt as if their mental health was not good, a third of students felt sad or helpless for more than two weeks but only 25% of those students sought after help for these feelings. When these numbers are laid out in front of you, it is almost impossible to ignore the fact that there is a crisis in America right now and we need to do as much as possible to help. Millions of people struggle every single day and we do not know it. They feel helpless, lost, and like they are fighting such a tough battle all by themselves. With the passing of this bill, there will be new hope given to hundreds of thousands of people across the state who feel this way. There will be other people who have fought the same battle and won right by their side to help them. These centers will give access to people who can finally understand issues on a deeper level and will be able to guide you through them. By opening these centers, there will be an increase in use of these services, just like in L.A., and hopefully there will also be a decrease in the days like me and many others have had, where they found out they have lost someone close to them, all because they thought that they were alone in their battle. Carson McKinnon is a junior at Sacred Heart University, majoring in health science.