The American Mental Health Counselors Association (AMHCA) is pleased to announce that Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) has agreed to serve as Honorary Chair of Mental Health Counseling Week, to be held May 5- 12, 2008, during National Mental Health Month.
Mental Health Counseling Week is designated each year to educate parents and families, communities, schools, health policymakers and insurers, health professionals, and employers about the importance of good mental health and the profession of mental health counseling.
Hatch, a Republican from Utah, was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1976. He is the Ranking Member on the Health Subcommittee of the Senate Finance Committee, which has primary jurisdiction over Medicare, and serves on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which oversees other health-related programs and legislation. Sen. Hatch has been a long time advocate for the passage of comprehensive mental health parity legislation and over the years has demonstrated his commitment by becoming a co-sponsor of parity and other mental health related legislation.
In a letter to mental health counselors, Sen. Hatch said, "The members of your organization perform a tremendous service for millions of adults, adolescents, and children who suffer from mental illness or who otherwise need professional mental health counseling. I am confident that our nation's mental health counselors will continue in their quest to improve the lives of their fellow Americans and I salute them for their devotion in helping others."
"AMHCA applauds Sen. Hatch for his work on behalf of those who suffer from mental illness, and for his commitment to working in Congress to make mental health services more widely available to our nation's citizens," said AMHCA President Gary Gintner, PhD. "We are honored to have Sen. Hatch serve as Honorary Chair of Mental Health Counseling Week and look forward to working with him in the future."