Tag: Legislative
Behavioral health center in West Texas needs support from Austin
In an op-ed for the Dallas Morning News, Miriam Pearsall, the chief of staff for policy and population health at the Meadows Institute, tells the story of her late cousin, Daryl, who died at the age of…
Malliotakis introduces bipartisan bill to improve seniors’ mental healthcare
This article was published in Staten Island Live on April 3, 2025. “America is facing an unprecedented behavioral health crisis, and we can only address the magnitude of the needs if we make mental health…
Harris County contends with shortage of mental health workers despite landmark state investment
This article was originally published in Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Research’s Urban Edge on January 27, 2025. “The Texas Legislature has made historic, life-saving investments in mental health over the last decade,” Andy Keller,…
Mental health advocates ask Texas lawmakers to replace expiring COVID-19 relief funding
This article was published in The Texas Tribune on January 2, 2025. “The Texas Legislature has made historic, life-saving investments in mental health over the last decade,” said Andy Keller, president and CEO of the…
Could Texas do for Alzheimer’s research what it did for cancer?
This article was published in The Texas Tribune on November 21, 2024. News of a fund for dementia being made possible next year has been praised by health advocates. Andy Keller, president and CEO of the…
The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute’s Statement on Lt. Governor Dan Patrick’s Announcement of the Dementia Prevention Research Institute of Texas
DALLAS – Nov. 18, 2024 – Andy Keller, the president and CEO of the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, released this statement applauding Lt. Governor Dan Patrick’s announcement of the Dementia Prevention Research Institute of…
Senate Health and Human Services Committee
SUMMARY—On September 18, 2024, Andy Keller, the president and CEO of the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, provided invited testimony before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.
Texas House Select Committee on Youth Health & Safety
SUMMARY - On July 31, Andy Keller, the president and CEO of the Meadows Mental Health Public Policy Institute, provided invited testimony before the House Select Committee on Youth Health & Safety, highlighting the...
Op/ed: To reduce suicide, primary care and mental health clinicians need to work together — Congress can help them do it
This first appeared in STAT News, by: Roshni Koli and Christine Yu Moutier. Suicide rates in the United States increased by approximately 36% between 2000 and 2022, according to updated data from the National Center for Health…
Texas is investing in better mental health
This article was originally published in The Dallas Morning News on June 17, 2024. Texas, among all states, is grappling with a rise in the percentage of youth who experienced a major depressive episode in…
New $305 million Austin State Hospital unveiled as Texas revamps psychiatric system
This article was published by the Texas Tribune on May 15, 2024. Read the full article on the Texas Tribune’s website. State leaders on Wednesday unveiled a new $305 million hospital, part of an $2.5…
Trellis Foundation and the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute Will Host the 2024 Higher Education Policy Summit in Austin April 19
This unique statewide summit brings together thought leaders and policymakers from across Texas and the nation to discuss opportunities to improve postsecondary mental health services for students and staff and address workforce shortages. Austin, TX…
Stakeholders discuss options for connecting youths to mental health services in Texas
This article was published by State of Reform on March 13, 2024. Read the full article on State of Reform’s website. Youth mental health professionals discussed efforts to provide care to children in need at…
Aiming to address the youth behavioral health crisis, Hawaii experts look towards Texas initiatives
This article was published by State of Reform on March 1, 2024. Read the full article on State of Reform’s website. As more states across the nation ramp up efforts to increase and provide access to behavioral…
As West Texas’ population grows, the need for more mental health care does too
This article was originally published in The Texas Tribune on October 10, 2023. ODESSA — About five years ago, Midland County faced a hard truth: Its jail was full. The swelling was caused in part…
New mental health policy developments to impact the Texas Panhandle
This news clip and accompanying article were published by KFDA News Channel 10 on September 27, 2023. AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) -The 88th legislative session in Texas marked a historic moment for mental health funding. According…
State Hospital Redesign & Inpatient Capacity Expansion: 2017-2023
SUMMARY - Since 2016, the Texas Legislature has invested over $3.6 billion toward developing a modernized state hospital system, informed by data-driven policy guidance provided by the Meadows Institute.
Rural Texas awaits mental health windfall after expanded state investment
This article was published by KXAN on August 20, 2023. AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Across 25,000 square miles of the Texas Panhandle, Nancy Tanner can offer scant help to rural Texans in a worsening crisis. “People…
Texas House Select Committee on Youth Health & Safety – HB 1537
SUMMARY - On April 17, Chief Medical Officer Roshni Koli, MD, provided invited testimony before the House Select Committee on Youth Health and Safety in support of House Bill 1537. HB 1537, by Representative...
Texas House Committee on Human Services – HB 1571
SUMMARY - On March 28, Chief Clinical Officer Hani Talebi, PhD, provided invited testimony before the House Committee on Human Services in support of HB 1571. HB 1571, by Representative J.M. Lozano, would allow...