At Finance Hearing, Carper Highlights Need to Address Pediatric Mental Health, Expand Telehealth

WASHINGTON, D.C. – At today’s Senate Finance Committee hearing on mental health care, U.S. Senator Tom Carper (D-Del.), senior member of the Committee, asked witnesses how Congress can address pediatric mental health disparities and expand telehealth services. Mental illness in Delaware and across the country have long been a public health concern, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the problem, particularly for young people.

In May, Carper introduced The Telehealth Improvement for Kids’ Essential Services (TIKES) Act, with Finance Committee member Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas), which would help states expand telehealth options for low-income Americans, especially children.

“My staff and I have heard from pediatricians across the country, including Nemours, the children’s hospital in Delaware … that our country is experiencing a mental health crisis among children and youth,” said Carper. “It has become clear that COVID-19 has significantly exacerbated the mental health stress on children and youth, highlighting the nation’s acute shortage of mental health services and the need to reinforce and expand the pediatric mental health delivery system and infrastructure.”

Watch Senator Carper’s full questions by clicking HERE.

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