Statement attributed to:
Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA
Immediate Past President, American Medical Association
“The American Medical Association applauds the Biden administration and the Secretary of Health and Human Services for funding additional support to make behavioral health care more accessible and equitable to children and adolescents by better integrating telehealth services into pediatric primary care. Physicians, parents and others who work with and care about young people welcome tangible support such as this to improve the mental health of children, adolescents, and families emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic. Achieving equitable access to mental and behavioral health care via telehealth is needed now, particularly where racial, ethnic, and geographic disparities in access to care are prevalent. The AMA is committed to ensuring equitable health innovation for historically marginalized and minoritized people and communities. By working alongside the members of the Behavioral Health Integration Collaborative the AMA is enabling physician practices to provide integrated and equitable physical and behavioral health care during the current pandemic and into the future so that more patients have the opportunities, circumstances, and resources to reach their full health potential.”
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About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.
