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Salinas: “No one should have to travel long distances just to see a mental health provider. And, thanks to my new bill, they may no longer have to.”
Yesterday in The Beaverton Valley Times, Oregon Representative Andrea Salinas outlined the need for her new bipartisan bill, the Home-Based Telemental Health Care Act, and how it will deliver critical mental health services to rural Oregon.
Salinas, who has prioritized mental health in her first term, writes that “long hours, geographical isolation, and persistent stigmas about seeking help” in the farming, fishing, and forestry industries have perpetuated a mental health crisis among Oregonians, and adds that her bill would save Oregonians “time, money, and resources.”
DCCC Spokesperson Dan Gottlieb:
“Rep. Salinas’ fight to address health care disparities across rural America exemplifies her bipartisan leadership drive to get things done for Oregonians – and why we need leaders like her in Congress.”
The Beaverton Valley Times: Rural Oregon deserves access to mental health care, too
Rep. Andrea Salinas | December 19, 2023
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In my conversations with providers, hospitals, and people across my district, I have consistently heard the same thing over and over: It’s getting harder to find a doctor in rural Oregon.
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Over the last ten years, we’ve seen dozens of rural health facilities close their doors in Oregon and across the country. That reality has created severe care shortages in many rural counties, especially when it comes to mental health care.
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This month, I introduced the bipartisan Home-Based Telemental Health Care Act along with my colleague in the Rural Health Caucus, Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger (R-Tennessee). Our legislation would expand access to telemental health services in rural communities. It would save folks time, money, and resources by allowing them to talk with a professional from the privacy of their own home.
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My bill focuses specifically on those who work in farming, fishing and forestry. These industries are critical to our economy and way of life in Oregon, but they’re also incredibly stressful. Long hours, geographical isolation, and persistent stigmas about seeking help are just some of the reasons we need to make it easier for these workers to access mental health care.
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I know there is no one-size-fits-all solution to this crisis. However, given what we know about the effectiveness of telehealth, we should be using every tool at our disposal to reduce barriers to care and ensure more Oregonians are receiving treatment.
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The Home-Based Telemental Health Care Act has strong support on both sides of the aisle, and I will continue urging my colleagues to support this critical bill. In the meantime, I won’t stop fighting to make mental health care accessible and affordable for everyone — regardless of zip code.
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