On October 5, President Trump issued an executive order creating a cabinet-level working group,The Coronavirus Mental Health Working Group, to facilitate an “all-of-government” response to the mental-health conditions induced or exacerbated by the pandemic, including issues related to suicide prevention. The Working Group will develop a federal plan for better coordination of services to prevent suicide, mental and behavioral health conditions in vulnerable populations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The order also calls for federal agencies to examine their existing grant programs for mental health as well as related services to encourage policies such as telehealth, peer-to-peer and safe in-person therapeutic services.
