CONGRESSMAN JOE MORELLE INTRODUCES LEGISLATION TO STRENGTHEN RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES DEALING WITH GRIEF

(Washington, DC—Today, Congressman Joe Morelle introduced legislation to create a National Strategy on Grief and help address the growing mental health challenges many families are facing. The legislation builds on a letter Congressman Morelle sent to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in January and establishes grant programs to provide trauma-informed care targeted to those who need it most.

“For too long, mental health needs have gone unaddressed, casting a shadow over families contending with significant loss—especially during the pandemic, said Congressman Joe Morelle. “Establishing a National Grief Strategy will help people move forward with the help of skilled professionals creating a culture of awareness and support. It is my hope that this legislation helps end the stigma around mental health and ensure families can access the essential support they deserve.”

“The GRIEF Act will ensure that people who have been directly impacted by loss throughout the COIVD-19 pandemic receive the support they need and deserve,” said Ben Marcantonio, COO and interim CEO of NHPCO and HAN. “Hospices around the country have long provided bereavement services in their communities, beyond caring for patients and their families. This bill would help make that kind of community-based support available to countless Americans in need. Thank you to Representative Morelle for your leadership on this landmark legislation.”

"This legislation holds the promise of a better future for the bereaved, especially those in underserved communities whose grief has long been minimized or ignored," said Thomas J. Spulak, chairman of Hospice Foundation of America (HFA). "Creating professionally-informed programs that make grief support accessible and funding research focused on understanding disabling grief are the first steps toward helping millions of Americans heal."

“We are thrilled that Representative Morelle has been such a strong advocate for helping people get the care that they need, through his support of the GRIEF Act,” said Jessica Strong, Executive Director, Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network (SWHPN). “Establishing a National Grief Strategy will help coordinate efforts among organizations, ensuring that the people who need grief and bereavement supports can more easily find them in their communities. This Act also helps those organizations receive appropriate funding to carry out this valuable, important work, and we look forward to continuing to work with Rep. Morelle and others on this bill.”

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed significant inequities within our healthcare system, especially regarding mental health. Over one million Americans have been lost since the start of this global health crisis, but the communities most in need of support are least able to treat their collective grief. While Native American, Black, and Hispanic communities suffered the most loss, they are less likely to have health insurance or affordable access to mental health care providers. It is time to learn from the lessons of the pandemic and take action to foster a more inclusive society that supports families with better bereavement care.

Establishing a national grief strategy would help strengthen accessibility of care, reduce the stigma around mental health, and foster a culture with a greater awareness for the long-term health outcomes of grief that often go unaddressed.The GRIEF Act seeks to achieve this goal by:

• Providing funding to improve education and training for bereavement care providers and peer support. Organizations with experience administering bereavement care programs or training health care providers will receive funds to develop and disseminate resources to help social workers, grief counselors, chaplains, and other bereavement providers train others in understanding the basics of grief, evidence-based interventions, and culturally appropriate care.

• Targeting funding to hospice providers, hospitals, palliative care providers, youth-focused non-profits, and schools to operate grief support groups and provide intervention services to help families and children address grief and loss.

• Requiring the National Institute of Health to conduct a study on the impact of prolonged grief related to the COVID-19 pandemic and conduct a national public information campaign to improve grief literacy and highlight the importance and availability of bereavement care.

For more information, read the full text of the legislation here.