Politics & Government

National Mental Health Council Names Lance a 'Legislator of the Year'

The National Council on Behavioral Health cited his work championing issues affecting people with mental health and drug abuse issues.

The National Council for Behavioral Health, an association of over 2,000 behavioral health care organizations providing treatment and rehabilitation for mental illness and addiction disorders, named Leonard Lance, R-7th Dist., a Legislator of the Year this week.

The award was presented to Rep. Lance at a ceremony on Capitol Hill on Monday as council members met in Washington for their annual conference.

The group cited Rep. Lance's leadership on behalf of people with mental health and substance use issues, as well as his work introducing the Excellence in Mental Health Act and strong support for improving the community mental health and addiction treatment system in the nation. 

Find out what's happening in Hillsboroughwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

During this remarks at the event, Rep. Lance called for parity in the health community between those suffering from physical illness and those suffering from mental illness.  

“I stand ready to work in a bipartisan capacity to achieve mental health parity in this country,” he said. “There are those who are suffering and need assistance.  The Congress and associations like the National Council for Behavioral Health can work together to provide the tools and funds to spark innovation.”

Find out what's happening in Hillsboroughwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Rep. Lance is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has broad jurisdiction over federal agencies and policies important to medical research and the life sciences sectors, and its Health Subcommittee.

 


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here