Klobuchar Nabs First Iowa Endorsement After She Bonds With Lawmaker Over Mental Health Care
State Rep. Ruth Ann Gaines has struggled to get her son, who has developmental disorders, proper care. Following a breakfast, 2020 hopeful Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) connected Gaines with an organization that helps parents of mentally ill children. "I could see this is a person who, if elected president, will do a great job, not only in the mental health area but primarily in listening to people and understanding their needs and then getting to work on trying to help them," Gaines said.
The Associated Press:
Klobuchar's Mental Health Policy Inspires Iowa Endorsement
Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar's mental health plan has inspired her first Iowa endorsement. State Rep. Ruth Ann Gaines, one of Iowa's four black legislators, is the mother of a son with developmental and mental disorders. She said Klobuchar made a personal impression on her when the two exchanged ideas to improve mental health services during a one-on-one breakfast. (6/6)
In other news on mental health care —
Kaiser Health News:
Legal Promise Of Equal Mental Health Treatment Often Falls Short
Amanda Bacon’s eating disorder was growing worse. She had lost 60% of her body weight and was consuming about 100 calories a day. But that wasn’t sick enough for her Medicaid managed-care company to cover an inpatient treatment program. She was told in 2017 that she would have to weigh 10 pounds less — putting her at 5-foot-7 and 90 pounds — or be admitted to a psychiatric unit. “I remember thinking, ‘I’m going to die,’” the Las Cruces, N.M., resident recalled recently. (Dangor, 6/7)
