Mental Health America couldn’t stay silent on Tuesday’s massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. A gunman killed 19 children and two teachers just days before the end of the school year.
“Again today, we are a nation in shock and mourning. The mass murder of 19 children and three teachers in their classrooms in Texas has us gutted with grief for the parents, the caregivers, the families, and the wider Uvalde community,” said Schroeder Stribling, president and CEO of the Alexandria, Va., based Mental Health America.
“When our distress and divisions become extreme, our basic well-being is at stake,” she said in a statement sent to media on the school shooting. “When our children are afraid to go to school and parents are afraid to send them, our daily mental health is at stake. When violence in schools and mass shootings are commonplace, our national identity as people of compassion and reason is at stake.”
As a leader and advocate in the mental health field, Stribling knows the numbers and understands the impact of trauma.
“We supply policymakers at all levels with actionable information on the crisis in youth mental health. As humans who value life, we know that basic safety is fundamental to our mental health. As Americans, we align with the growing majority who favor action to protect public health and safety – including tighter controls on access to weapons.
“We need moral courage to meet this moment. We need the fortitude not to look away from the traumatic scene playing out on the stage we have set for a generation of youth at risk. We do not need another day like yesterday.”
For support, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Disaster Distress Helpline provides 24/7, 365-day-a-year crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress at 1-800-985-5990.
If you are in crisis, you can reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or you can reach Crisis Text Line by messaging “MHA” to 741-741.
Story by Crystal Abbe Graham
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