A new initiative launched Thursday by Gov. Tom Wolf seeks to eliminate the stigma attached to mental illness and increase services for all Pennsylvanians.

Wolf said there has been increasing concern over the past few years regarding the state of mental health care in Pennsylvania and the stigma that can go along with seeking help.

“At the start of a new decade, it's time to start fresh,” Wolf said from the state capital in Harrisburg.

He announced that many departments in his administration will be involved in carrying out “Reach Out PA: Your Mental Health Matters,” which he described as a multiagency initiative targeting barriers to access to mental health care.

Wolf said while almost every resident in the state knows someone suffering from depression, anxiety, hopelessness, anger or the feeling they don't belong, many do not feel comfortable talking about their struggle because of a perceived stigma associated with seeking help.“We're starting with the idea that silence breeds shame,” Wolf said. “I want to end the silence because I want to end the stigma.”He also wants to ensure that every Pennsylvanian has access to care regardless of income level, age or where they live.Wolf said a University of California study showed that 1 million adults in Pennsylvania struggled with serious psychological distress in 2015, which was the study year.

In addition to eliminating barriers to mental health care, Wolf wants to identify rural areas in which receiving treatment is difficult.He also wants to make sure insurance companies are adequately providing mental health services to all residents.“We need insurers to take mental health as seriously as physical health,” Wolf said.One fact that particularly disturbs Wolf is that a lack of support and services exists for children and young adults facing mental health issues.He said all students in the state need to have access to trained adults such as school counselors and social workers to halt a potential chain reaction of violence.Wolf relayed an instance in which two third-graders in Philadelphia went to school after witnessing murders without any support services available at their schools.

Roy Remone, a coordinator with the Mental Health Association of Butler County, approves of Wolf's initiative.“I'm hoping it will ease some people's minds about the whole mental health issue,” Remone said.He said many people don't come forward regarding their struggles with mental health because they are afraid of what people might think of them.One problem Remone sees in Butler is that many with mental illness become involved with law enforcement, which allows potential employers to see police and court reports.Seeing that a prospective hire has mental illness issues often puts the brakes on a job for those working to deal with their problems and improve their lives.He said using only first names on police reports and court documents that are publicly available would go a long way toward destigmatizing mental illness and allowing sufferers to take positive steps toward improved mental health.More free mental health services that connect the mentally ill in the community with those in recovery would also help, Remone said.Another reason people don't come forward and get help, he said, is a current bill being considered in Harrisburg that would prohibit those with any mental health diagnosis from owning a gun.Remone hopes the governor's initiative will make every resident more comfortable with talking about mental health issues.“I just hope it puts people at ease, so they are able to help their neighbors, friends and family members,” he said.

In addition to children, other groups identified as vulnerable to mental health struggles are active military, veterans, the elderly, and people facing job loss, Wolf said.Wolf said he will attend a roundtable discussion Friday at Muhlenberg College in Allentown to bring into the open the issues the initiative is trying to address.“We want to improve the lives of those struggling with mental health,” he said. “We're going to deal with everyone who suffers, directly or indirectly, with the issues of mental health, and we're going to get started immediately.”Wolf said because it is in its earliest stages, there is not yet a budget associated with the program.

The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania applauded Wolf's initiative in a news release but noted it hopes funding will accompany any expansion of mental health services in the state's 67 counties.“Counties support the attention being given to the mental health needs of our citizens through the governor's Reach Out PA initiative, but funding levels for county mental health services also have direct impacts on whether these important community and family supports will be available,” said CCAP President Jeff Snyder. “For too many years, we have seen state funding for mental health services lag far behind needs even as caseloads continue to increase.”LeadingAge PA, the voice for nonprofit senior care in the state, lauded Wolf for “taking this critical step in helping countless Pennsylvanians address mental health issues.”“As one of the grayest states in the nation, access to critical mental care for seniors is increasingly important,” said CEO Adam Marles.Wolf said the state departments of Veteran and Military Affairs, Labor and Industry, and Aging will help his team to identify those who are most vulnerable to mental health issues.

Gov. Tom Wolf