WHEREAS, May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, which was established by Mental Health America in 1949 to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in Americans’ lives and to celebrate recovery from mental illness; and

WHEREAS, mental health includes a person’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being, which can affect how they think, feel, and act, and help determine how they handle stress, relate to others, and make choices; and

WHEREAS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one in five adults in the United States live with a mental illness; and

WHEREAS, in Virginia, 22.8% of adults have a diagnosed mental illness; and         

WHEREAS, mental health impacts individuals from all racial and ethnic backgrounds; and

WHEREAS, mental health conditions are prevalent in our nation, but stigma, in combination with fear of discrimination, prevent many who would benefit from mental health services from seeking help; and

WHEREAS, every citizen shares the burden of untreated mental health conditions and benefits greatly from mental wellness promotion and prevention efforts to combat mental illness; and

WHEREAS, the Right Help, Right Now plan is focused on transforming Virginia's behavioral healthcare system by promoting mental health wellness and resiliency to reduce crises, while ensuring that those in crisis have someone to call, someone to respond, and somewhere to go; and

WHEREAS, the Right Help, Right Now plan has invested an additional $1.4 billion to support pre-crisis, during crisis, and post-crisis care for individuals and their communities; and

WHEREAS, early detection and timely, effective treatment are essential for individuals with mental health conditions to recover, lead fulfilling and productive lives, and to help reduce the burden of mental health conditions on the individual and their families; and

WHEREAS, engaging in prevention strategies such as early identification of warning signs and symptoms and early intervention is an effective way to reduce the burden of mental illnesses; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, in partnership with the Virginia Association of Community Services Boards, has provided Mental Health First Aid to over 100,000 citizens as a statewide approach to mental health wellness by providing training on how to identify and assist individuals who have or may be developing a mental health or substance use disorder or who may be experiencing a mental health crisis; and

WHEREAS, Mental Health Awareness Month is an opportunity to increase awareness and education regarding the importance of mental health and to help improve mental health for all Virginians;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize May 2025, as MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH in our COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all of our citizens.