As this petition launches, there are ZERO adolescent psychiatric beds open in the state of Michigan.  In the University of Michigan Children's psychiatric ER, several teens sit waiting.  They and their parents encamped in the ER waiting room, sleeping on the floor, seeking help that cannot be offered because our healthcare system is overwhelmed and our state has systematically failed to invest in mental health - least of all for children and adolescents.  There are eight hospitals with adolescent psychiatric capacity.  They're all overwhelmed.  They're all understaffed. They have all had resources cut. And in the emergency rooms across the state, children wait.  Still many more (as I've witnessed here in the past 24 hours) simply give up and leave.  Many more don't even bother - they've heard the stories. Worse; they've lived the cycle too many times, getting nowhere. 

This isn't unique to Michigan, but it is an absolute crisis in Michigan. It needs urgent attention, as we are subjecting an entire generation of Michigan youth to a shameful failure to meet the needs of our citizens.  This must change and our youth - the future of our state - must be a priority.

This petition seeks immediate, emergency aid at both state and federal levels.  While the national narrative focuses on 'infrastructure' we seek acknowledgment that mental health care - especially in a nation whose systems are failing, whose diseases of despair are skyrocketing, whose inequality and addiction and homelessness are off the charts - is essential infrastructure.

We the undersigned citizens of Michigan and / or concerned family, friends and supporters of impacted Michigan citizens, seek IMMEDIATE action from State and Federal leaders to fund tactical and strategic improvements to our Mental Health Care infrastructure including:

• community health funding increases
• staffing increases in mental health and social work care,
• strategic investment in facilities,
• significant expansion of geographic coverage of availability (both care and facilities)
• additional significant funding for education, outreach and mental health support in K12 schools and community programming.

This is a crisis that will impact our state for years, even decades to come - and is currently causing great pain, anguish, injury and loss of life to children EVERY DAY in our state.

We ask Governor Whitmer and our State Legislature to initiate emergency legislation immediately.

On behalf of the children of Michigan today, and the adult citizens of Michigan's tomorrow....

Thank you,

We The People