NEW JERSEY – National Governors Association (NGA) Chair New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and Colorado Governor Jared Polis held a roundtable discussion with those on the frontlines of youth mental health care to advance the NGA Chair’s Initiative: Strengthening Youth Mental Health.
New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy, California First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom and North Carolina First Lady Kristin Cooper also spoke at the event, highlighting holistic efforts to support children and parents – including Tammy Murphy’s Nurture NJ initiative focused on maternal and infant health.
“The youth mental health crisis isn’t unique to New Jersey or California – it’s an issue that transcends both state and party lines,” Murphy said. “From small towns to big cities, parents, children, and educators are confronting this struggle in their every day lives. We need a comprehensive approach to not only connect young people with resources, but empower parents and teachers to identify signs of mental health challenges and provide positive support. By holding these convenings with Governors from across the country and across the aisle, we are working to raise awareness, encourage action, and find real mental health solutions that any state can make their own.”
“Improving mental health and putting people first have been a top priority in Colorado where we’ve been working on bipartisan policies to give our young people the tools they deserve to help manage their mental health including through our imattercolorado.org, which offers six free mental health consultations for students, and improving our behavioral health system,” Polis said. “Governor Murphy’s timely and important initiative provides an important forum for Governors and states to come together to share examples of what’s working and learn ways we can reach more young Americans in need of mental health support.”
In response to rising rates of mental health distress among young people, Governor Murphy introduced his NGA Chair’s Initiative in July. Through the Strengthening Youth Mental Health initiative, Governors from across the nation are collaborating to develop bipartisan solutions.
During the two-day roundtable event in Santa Monica, hosted by First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, Governors Murphy and Polis held discussions with parents, physicians, pediatric psychologists, educators, policymakers and other mental health experts. Conversations focused on challenges and solutions connected to raising awareness and reducing stigma.
The California event is the second of four roundtable discussions Governors will convene in multiple states in support of the Strengthening Youth Mental Health initiative.
A previous roundtable was hosted in Utah by Utah Governor and NGA Vice Chair Spencer Cox.
