Currently, the bill H.R. 5469, remains in the same position; the last action was on December 17, 2019 when the bill was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. This bill addresses three main topics; they are categorized as Title I – Mental Health of Students, Title II – Health Equity and Accountability, and Title III – Other Provisions. The section of mental health of students in the bill focuses on describing the three components that make up the program. The three components are to provide awareness of trauma and its impacts on the individuals, the second component is to train staff so they can be able to identify the signs of trauma in students. The last component is to implement positive interventions and treatment that “supports to foster the health and development of children” (H.R. 5469, 2019).
In addition it is essential that this bill continues to move and be passed, because it will impact the population of children and adolescence, specifically those who are in need of mental health services, or those who have experienced trauma. According to the article Improving Mental Health in Schools, Rosen and Cowan state that, “among children who receive mental health services, an estimated 70% to 80% of them initially receive those services at school” (2014, p. 9). This article explains how that in schools, youth are experiencing mental illnesses, which demonstrates the need for more mental health programs in schools. Furthermore, in another article the authors state that, “prevalence estimates indicate that 20% of children younger than 18 years of age have mental health concerns and the percentage increases to 25% for children in adverse environments” (Reinke et al., 2011, p. 1).
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