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The Student News Site of Sacramento City College

The Express

The Student News Site of Sacramento City College

The Express

Mental health bill passes Assembly: AB 2017 would fund mental health services in colleges, universities

Los+Rios+students+and+faculty+came+out+to+support+AB2017%2C+a+mental+health+bill%2C+during+a+committee+hearing+at+the+state+Capitol.+Photo+by+Ma+Caliolio.+%7C+ma.caliolio%40gmail.com
Los Rios students and faculty came out to support AB2017, a mental health bill, during a committee hearing at the state Capitol. Photo by Ma Caliolio. | [email protected]
Los Rios students and faculty came out to support AB2017, a mental health bill, during a committee hearing at the state Capitol. Photo by Ma Caliolio. | ma.caliolio@gmail.com
Los Rios students and faculty came out to support AB2017, a mental health bill, during a committee hearing at the state Capitol. Photo by Ma Caliolio. | [email protected]

Students from California community colleges, the University of California, the California State University system and local organizations gave their support and urged the Assembly’s higher education committee to pass AB 2017, which would create the College Mental Health Services Trust to fund competitive grants for mental health services for higher education students in California.

Assembly member Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento), the bill’s author, and three others testified in support of the
bill, which passed and now moves to the appropriations committee. It is expected to be heard in May.

“One in four students has a diagnosable mental illness,” McCarty said. “Forty percent of students do not seek help when they need it, and depression is a gateway issue and can lead to students dropping out of school.”

According to McCarty, AB 2017 would acquire funds from an already existing law passed in 2004 called Proposition 63, or the Mental Health Services Act, co-authored by former Senate president pro tem and Sacramento mayoral candidate Darrell Steinberg.

In an email, McCarty reinforced the importance of having mental health access and services available for college students in higher education.

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“Student mental health success leads to student success,” McCarty said. “AB 2017 will go a long way in helping our college students get the help they need on our campuses.”

McCarty emphasized that the bill would provide students with the help they need on campus.

“This bill recognizes mental health access is an urgent issue for students,” McCarty said in the email. “Should the bill become law and campuses apply
for this funding, we can expect to have better services and training for early identification and intervention of mental health needs.”

Wendy Gomez, one of the registered nurses in the Health Services Center at City College, agreed that students are under a lot of pressure.

“This is a very important bill because college students are stressed and have
a lot of issues going on and [they] need mental health support,” Gomez said. “You can’t separate mind from the body, it just doesn’t work.”

Gomez added the Learning Resource Center offers stress management workshops for students, including one Thursday, May 5, from 2–3 p.m. in LRC 141. Students can call (916) 558- 2258 for more information.

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