The last few years have shown us just how important mental health is as we all had to face the fear and isolation the pandemic created, and no one suffered more than our children. That’s why I secured $10 million for a trauma resource center in East St. Louis that will be operated out of the East St. Louis school district in partnership with the Illinois State Police. We need to make sure our young people have the resources they need to succeed, and that starts with good mental health.
As much as our kids have suffered, so have our teachers. To help make sure teachers can take care of themselves, I passed a law that mandates that school districts allow teachers to take mental health days as part of their paid time off.
I’ve also partnered with local hospitals, case workers, and clinical professionals to offer mental health resources to our community during the pandemic, and my office will continue to be a bridge between our community and the mental health resources we need.