Few public figures are as open about their personal struggles with mental health as Erik is.  

As a young, isolated gay teen growing up alone deep in conservative rural America, Erik spent a month in a mental institution after trying to take his own life five times, and is only here today because his parents understood the danger of having a firearm in the home.

Across the country, we face a mental health care system on the precipice of collapse. Lack of providers, especially for adolescents, leaves many families using emergency rooms to treat mental health conditions. Over 28 million adults report struggling with their mental health and not having access to care. In the United States, one person losses their life to suicide every 11 minutes- our country must do better. 

In public life representing the West Side of Manhattan, Erik sees every day how terribly the country has bungled a mental health crisis that’s left millions of families devastated and lives stunted in despair. Furthermore, Erik acknowledges the intersections of substance abuse disorder and access to firearms creating dangerous crossroads for Americans who need help. He knows it doesn’t have to be this way, and that it’s crucial to extend access to services where people in crisis are. 

Through innovative legislation, Erik has already opened mental health services to thousands in need at schools, community centers, public housing, shelters and supportive housing, clinics and houses of worship. Erik knows we can harness the federal system to do that on a much bigger scale and deliver relief to millions and cut costs, strengthen families and improve outcomes by making smart, evidence-based investments in real mental health services. 

As your Congressman, Erik will: 

• Provide funding to expand access to mental health treatment across the district especially for adolescents and members of the LGBTQIA+ community who are 2.5 times more likely to experience depression, anxiety and substance misuse disorders 

• Fight for insurance coverage of mental health treatment by private providers including for individuals under 18 

• Increase grant and scholarship opportunities for students pursuing degrees in mental health services 

• Expand substance abuse disorder treatment options from Naloxone accessibility to inpatient care centers 

• Lead the fight for a national Red Flag Law, allowing law enforcement, medical professionals and social workers to help our nation reduce gun violence and suicide deaths by removing firearms from homes where individuals are deemed a harm to themselves or others