The House last week voted to overhaul the nation's mental healthcare system. The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2016 received overwhelming bipartisan support.
Congressman Darin LaHood co-sponsored the legislation. The Peoria Republican says he personally saw the need for a focus on treatment instead of confinement in the courtroom.
LaHood says one key reform is the linking of pediatricians and primary care doctors to psychiatrists and psychologists in rural areas where patients do not have access to care.