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4/28/2022
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Mental Health Association of RI names Senator DiMario Legislator of the Year for 2022
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 STATE HOUSE — The Mental Health Association of Rhode Island named Sen. Alana M. DiMario (D-Dist. 36, Narragansett, North Kingstown) as Legislator of the Year during its “May is Mental Health Month” kickoff at the State House today for advancing mental health reforms through legislation.
“I am proud and humbled that the Mental Health Association would choose me for this award,” said Senator DiMario, a licensed mental health counselor in private practice. “The diverse and complex issues of mental health have always been very near and dear to me and I look forward to building upon the work we have begun in the General Assembly to address these issues with the voice and perspective of a mental health therapist when making policy decisions, especially around our mental health care system.”
Most recently, Senator DiMario has sponsored a host of mental health-related bills, including:
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S2086: This bill addresses the practice of “clawbacks,” where an insurance company can come back to a provider up to 18 months later to dispute payment of a claim and take back the money that had been paid. S2086 reduces that time period to 12 months to help provide more stability for providers and keep them in network with insurance companies, increasing access for clients.
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S2105: This bill would ensure that in cases of reported child abuse or neglect that the child receives the best possible support and outcomes if either the child's family or the perpetrator are involved with the military, and no one falls through the cracks due to lack of communication.
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S2120: Currently, children under 14 who have been the victims of sexual abuse can use a recorded video interview as their testimony for a grand jury. This bill would raise the age to 18.
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S2576: This bill empowers the Commissioner of Postsecondary Education to develop rules and regulations around using available external funding sources to pay mental health and social work students at public universities for their significant internship requirements.
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S2605: This bill would allow Rhode Island to enter into the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact, which would allow Rhode Island's psychologists to provide telehealth services across state lines with the 31 states that are already participating.
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S2614: This bill would create a plan for implementing best practices for children 0-6 and their caregivers to make sure we are identifying and intervening early where the impact on their future development can be the greatest.
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S2616: This bill would allow qualified graduates to see clients who have commercial/private insurance in addition to Medicaid which is already allowed. Making this change to a 2-tiered license structure would immediately increase access for Rhode Islanders needing counseling, and would increase income for new graduates.
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S2617: Creates parity with a 2-step licensure process that would match what is described in S2616, and also requires that the licensure exam for independent licensing be offered in languages other than English.
The Mental Health Association of Rhode Island is the watchdog of the mental health community. Through systems change, the organization promotes mental health, increases consumers’ access to treatment and services, and improves the lives of people touched by mental illness.
For more information, contact:
Daniel Trafford, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401)222-1922
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