WOONSOCKET, R.I. (AP) - Governor Gina Raimondo is ordering Rhode Island agencies to step up their commitment to people with mental health and substance use disorders.
The Democrat signed an executive order Friday calling for the development of an action plan to improve the state’s behavioral and mental health care systems. The plan would be due in November.
The order also directs state agencies to review how insurance companies are treating mental and behavioral health needs. It also calls for a new statewide campaign to improve public attitudes around mental illness and addiction.
Former Congressman Patrick Kennedy joined Raimondo and other officials as she signed the executive order at the Thundermist Health Center in Woonsocket.
The governor says 25 percent of all adults in Rhode Island have a mental health diagnosis.
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