Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) announced Rachelle Pellissier, Executive Director of Crisis Support Services of Nevada (CSSNV), as her guest to the State of the Union address. Senator Cortez Masto continues to champion support for mental health care, building on her work to implement and fund the nation’s 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which is operated in Nevada by CSSNV. In December, Senator Cortez Masto delivered robust funding to expand behavioral health crisis support services that will allow CSSNV to deploy mobile teams and provide emergency care to Nevadans navigating mental health crises.
“The 988 crisis hotline I helped deliver has already assisted tens of thousands of Nevadans, and more funding is on its way to the state for mental health mobile crises units, emergency treatment, and stabilization services,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’m proud to have Rachelle Pellissier from Crisis Support Services of Nevada as my guest for tomorrow’s speech, and I’ll continue working hand-in-hand with Nevada to ensure that our families get the care and resources they need.”
“The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is one of the biggest steps forward for mental healthcare in United States history,” said Rachelle Pellissier. “It is the first step in creating a behavioral health crisis response system, that when fully functional, will include mobile teams and crisis stabilization centers. Senator Cortez Masto has been a staunch proponent through the development, implementation and funding of this vital system that will destigmatize and decriminalize mental health issues in Nevada and across the United States.”
Crisis Support Services of Nevada is Nevada’s statewide crisis call center and one of the twelve 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline national backup call centers that answers calls from across Nevada and the nation. In 2022, CSSNV answered over 87,000 calls. In addition to operating the 988 hotline, CSSNV provides crisis support services and advocacy to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and abuse.
Senator Cortez Masto has been a leader in the Senate on mental health issues. She successfully fought to include $1 billion to support mental health services in schools in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that passed Congress this summer. She also secured $950,000 in the FY22 government spending bill to help Clark County School District better support students recovering from substance use disorder and mental health struggles and the recently passed FY 23 omnibus bill includes $1,337,000 for a Nevada State College training facility for students who are preparing to become school psychologists.
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