With just over two months left in the Texas legislative session, lawmakers are considering several bills aimed at improving mental health and substance use treatment for youth. The urgency comes as Dallas County sees a staggering 343% increase in youth overdose rates since 2016, according to Dall as County Health and Human Services data on alcohol and substance use prevention. One North Texas nonprofit, Youth180 of Oak Cliff, is leading the charge to advocate in Austin for policy changes that could expand access to life-saving care for young people. For the last 41 years, Youth180 has provided mental health counseling, trauma support, and substance use prevention programs in districts like Dallas, Mesquite, and Irving ISDs. They provide wraparound services to address childhood trauma and substance use, along with licensed therapists who are equipped to treat both mental health and substance use issues in young people. The group says lawmakers are becoming more aware of youth mental health challenges, but there’s still more work to do. “Texas ranks number one in the country for a number of uninsured children,” said Keri Stitt, President & CEO of Youth180. “What that means is that it’s harder to get access to the meds that you may need to help overcome some of the mental health, anxiety, and depression that young people are feeling as a result of COVID. But not even just COVID—compounding COVID with teenage years is difficult.” According to Stitt, youth who lack access to treatment often turn to dangerous alternatives. “For many of our young people, they report to us that it’s cheaper and easier to get Xanax off the street to help cope with anxiety than it is to have their parents take off work for a doctor’s appointment. No parent should have to choose between their child’s mental health and putting food on the table,” she said. Youth180 is advocating for three key bills this session: House Bill 1142 – Requires insurance companies to cover mental health and substance use treatment at the same rate as other medical conditions. Senate Bill 1732 – Expands youth access to medication-assisted treatment services. House Bill 2528 – Cuts red tape and delays in receiving medication-assisted treatment. All three bills are currently pending in committee and are about a quarter of the way through the legislative process. Stitt and Youth180 have already led groups to Austin to lobby for these measures and plan to make several more trips before the session ends. The deadline for lawmakers to act is June 2, when the legislative session concludes. Governor Greg Abbott will then have until June 22 to sign or veto bills that make it to his desk. As the countdown continues, advocates say the need for action has never been more urgent. “We need to invest now,” Stitt emphasized. “These services are highly effective, but too many youth don’t have access to them because of barriers that can easily be reduced.” ...read more read less