LINCOLN- A Nebraska lawmaker is asking his colleagues to consider the state's biggest mental and behavioral health needs and set a "strong mental health agenda" for the 2024 session. The Health and Human Services Committee heard from a collection of mental health experts at a hearing for LR202. The resolution, brought by State Sen. John Fredrickson of Omaha, calls for an interim study into Nebraska's ongoing mental and behavioral health needs.

"This is a time, as a state, we need to step up," Fredrickson said. Fredrickson, a mental health professional himself, said mental health care in Nebraska has reached a crisis point. According to a study by Mental Health America, Nebraska has some of the highest prevalence of mental illness in the country, particularly among youths, where the state ranks 49th. The state ranks 29th when it comes to access to care.

One of the biggest ongoing issues is a shortage in providers, which currently impacts 88 of Nebraska's 93 counties, according to Marley Doyle, director of the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska (BHECN). The center is housed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center.

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