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Montgomery County Council proclaims Mental Health Awareness Month, spotlights youth needs and service gaps
Summary
Councilmembers and county health officials marked Mental Health Awareness Month with a proclamation, highlighted youth mental health statistics and discussed county efforts to expand culturally affirming services, crisis response and outreach to under-served groups.
The Montgomery County Council and county health leaders proclaimed June as Mental Health Awareness Month and used the ceremony to underscore youth mental health challenges, gaps in service awareness and the need for culturally affirming care.
Council President Kate Stewart and Councilmember Gabe Albornoz led the proclamation and thanked community providers and nonprofit partners who joined the council in the chamber. Stewart said raising awareness and breaking down stigma are central to county efforts and noted the county's substantial network of resources; she said families sometimes do not know what is available.
Councilmember Albornoz and other speakers warned that national policy changes have increased stress for vulnerable populations and urged local action to expand prevention, intervention, crisis response and recovery supports. County Health Officer Dr. Keisha Davis told the council that "mental health is health" and emphasized the disproportionate burdens facing communities of color, LGBTQ+ residents and other minoritized groups.
Youth leaders from the Be The 1 Youth Ambassadors and other student speakers described alarming national data on teen mental health: one speaker cited a CDC finding that in 2021 more than 40% of high school students reported persistent sadness or hopelessness; another referenced the Trevor Project's 2023 national survey reporting 56% of LGBTQ youth ages 13 to 17 seriously considered suicide in the prior year. Student presenters urged more peer-led supports, school-based mental health education and safe spaces for disclosures.
County behavioral health staff and providers at the event highlighted services including targeted case management, mobile crisis teams, 988 crisis lifeline and crisis stabilization resources. Speakers also noted workforce challenges in behavioral health and the importance of coordinated county and nonprofit efforts.
Why this matters: County leaders framed the proclamation as a policy and community call to reduce stigma, improve access to culturally competent services and strengthen crisis response systems for youth and other vulnerable residents.
