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2026 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 49
BY SENATOR MIZELL
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
To recognize the month of May as Mental Health Awareness Month in Louisiana and to
request the residents of this state, organizations, healthcare providers, and
government officials to make special efforts to advocate for policies that expand
access to high-quality mental health and substance use care that supports Louisiana
residents in living longer, healthier, more productive lives.
WHEREAS, according to the Louisiana Department of Health, 93% of Louisiana
residents live in a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area (MHPSA); and
WHEREAS, nearly eight hundred forty thousand adults in Louisiana live with a
mental illness and almost sixty thousand adolescents in Louisiana, ages twelve through
seventeen, have depression or anxiety; and
WHEREAS, 21% of children ages three through seventeen in the United States have
been diagnosed with a mental, emotional, or behavioral health condition; and
WHEREAS, suicide is the second leading cause of death amongst people ages ten
through thirty-four and the eleventh leading cause of death in the United States overall; and
WHEREAS, according to the Louisiana Department of Insurance, residents in
Louisiana spend the highest percentage of their family income on health insurance, up to
15.6%, more than any other state; and
WHEREAS, across the United States, 44% of the people in local jails have a history
of mental illness and 63% have a substance use disorder; and
WHEREAS, repeated arrests and longer incarceration periods for people with
behavioral health issues result in increased human and fiscal costs; and
WHEREAS, mental health is essential to a person's life in the same capacity as
physical health and allows us to take better care of ourselves and our families; and
WHEREAS, maintaining the mental health of a community supports the
development of a healthy workforce and advances economic opportunity; and
WHEREAS, a lack of access to high-quality mental health and substance use care
leads to devastating impacts on the wellbeing of individuals and society; and
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SCR NO. 49 ENROLLED
WHEREAS, Louisiana has made great progress in expanding access to mental health
services statewide, but more must be done to reach underserved populations and people in
every corner of the state.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby recognize the month of May as Mental Health Awareness Month in Louisiana
and does hereby request residents of this state, organizations, healthcare providers, and
government officials to make special efforts to support policies that expand access to high-
quality mental health and substance use care and to continue supporting Louisiana residents
to live longer, healthier, more productive lives.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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