Clinton outlines mental health initiative

Hillary Clinton unveiled a plan Monday to better integrate mental health services into general health care settings in an effort to increase access to treatment.

Her proposal calls for a White House conference on mental health during her first year as president, according to a statement from the campaign, which also notes that nearly a fifth of all U.S. adults are coping with a mental health problem.

Among the steps she outlines is retooling reimbursement systems in Medicare and Medicaid and promoting early diagnosis and intervention, including a national suicide prevention initiative. Her plan also calls for randomized audits of insurance companies to make it harder to conceal when mental health care services are denied.

Clinton has been highlighting mental health throughout her campaign since meeting with individuals she met at town hall forums whose families are struggling with mental health and drug-related illnesses. Earlier in the campaign, she also announced an initiative to expedite a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.

Her current proposal also calls for improving law enforcement training in crisis intervention and how to respond to individuals with mental illness.