METAIRIE – This morning, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) participated in the grand opening ceremony for the National Alliance of Mental Illness’s (NAMI) mid-city New Orleans campus in Southeast Louisiana. This follows a merger of NAMI’s New Orleans and St. Tammany branches to found a Southeast Louisiana affiliate, in order to better deliver mental health care services for people in the region.
“I appreciate NAMI’s partnership in improving access to quality mental health care in Southeast Louisiana,” said Dr. Cassidy. “This remains a top priority of mine in Congress.”
Cassidy has worked to provide more mental health care resources for communities across Louisiana. In 2022, Cassidy helped author and pass into law the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which increased access to mental health and suicide prevention programs through community health centers and school-based mental health services. The legislation also provided investments in telehealth, so families in rural or impoverished communities can access quality mental health care.
Additionally, Cassidy led the effort to successfully reauthorize and strengthen resources he first secured in the passage of his Mental Health Reform Act of 2016, which originally passed into law as part of the 21st Century Cures Act. The law improved access to mental health care for children, boosted suicide prevention programs, and created an Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use to oversee grants and promote best practices.
NAMI Southeast Louisiana brings together therapists and other mental health care providers to serve patients in nine parishes, namely Jefferson, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington. Among other programs, they support behavioral health care services and offer apartments to those with serious and persistent mental illnesses who are currently homeless. They also connect people who are experiencing difficulties finding mental health care to those who can provide it. Cassidy was welcomed to the event by Mr. Nick Richard, Executive Director of NAMI Southeast Louisiana.
“We were honored to have Senator Cassidy join us for this momentous occasion,” said Mr. Richard. “His support and dedication to mental health advocacy is invaluable as we continue to expand our services and reach more individuals in need.”
Later, Cassidy hosted his fourth Rural Community Funding Summit of 2024 in Covington, together with the Louisiana Municipal Association, the Police Jury Association of Louisiana, and LITACorp. These summits are designed to help local communities access funds in Cassidy’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) to fix water and sewage systems, mitigate for flooding, or build infrastructure that supports economic development projects.
“The North Shore and the Florida Parishes are growing rapidly. Expanding infrastructure is essential,” said Dr. Cassidy.“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill is a once in a lifetime opportunity to get resources to fix roads and sewer and water systems, reduce flood risk, and do other things. By getting our tax dollars back, we should benefit.”
Just in the past week, over $101 million has been announced to build rail, upgrade airports, replace aging gas infrastructure, and fix water and sewer systems in Louisiana. There have also recently been major grant announcements to support communities on the Northshore. Over $9.8 million was announced in September for flood mitigation elevations in St. Tammany Parish. Another $1.5 million was announced for Bogalusa since May to improve the local airport and provide a Brownfields Cleanup Grant. And over $2.7 million has been provided to Slidell since June to advance the Bayou Patassat Green Corridor Project and upgrade their airport.
This summit was also hosted by Madisonville Mayor Jean Pelloat, who thanked Cassidy for his leadership and support for the Northshore.
“Every mayor and council member in our parish wants to meet the needs of our residents, including the many newcomers who have made St. Tammany Parish their home in recent years,” said Mayor Pelloat. “We appreciate that Senator Cassidy has made money available to upgrade our roads and water and sewer systems, and to support new businesses that create jobs in our communities. I thank Senator Cassidy for hosting this summit and to make sure we can speak with the people who will be granting money from his infrastructure bill.”
Additional Rural Community Funding Summits will be held in Rayne at 9 AM on Tuesday at the Rayne Civic Center, and again at 9 AM on Wednesday at the Price LeBlanc PACE Center in Gonzales. For more information, please click here.
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