Date: September 10, 2004
Contact: David Partenheimer
Public Affairs Office
(202) 336-5706

AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION APPLAUDS CONGRESS FOR PASSING THE GARRETT LEE SMITH MEMORIAL ACT

WASHINGTON — The American Psychological Association (APA) applauds the U.S. House and Senate's bipartisan approval of the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act (S.2634).

This critically important legislation incorporates some of the provisions from the APA-supported Campus Care and Counseling Act (H.R. 3593) and the Youth Suicide Early Intervention and Prevention Expansion Act (H.R. 4557). As originally drafted, the Campus Care and Counseling Act authorizes funds for competitive grants to centers on college campuses that provide mental and behavioral health services to students in an effort to increase and improve services on those campuses. The Youth Suicide Early Intervention and Expansion Act would support and further coordinate efforts already being undertaken by several states, localities, and the federal government in the area of youth suicide and early intervention and prevention.

“We are pleased that this vital legislation was approved yesterday,” said Norman B. Anderson, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of the American Psychological Association. “Passage of the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act represents an important first step in establishing critical and much-needed support for mental and behavioral health services to students on college campuses. This legislation with some modifications can make a difference in the lives of so many of our nation’s young people.”

The American Psychological Association (APA), in Washington, DC, is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world’s largest association of psychologists. APA’s membership includes more than 150,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 53 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.

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