State. Rep. Mary Whiteford, of Casco Township, attended the White House Summit on Transforming Mental Health Treatment to Combat Homelessness, Violence and Substance Abuse on Thursday.

Whiteford, who serves as chair of the House Health and Human Services Budget Committee has been committed to improving mental health care in Michigan since taking office in 2015. She participated in the House C.A.R.E.S. Mental Health Task Force in 2018, which focused on improving access to and quality of mental health care in Michigan.

Thursday’s summit in D.C. brought together important federal, state, local, community and private sector leaders.

“It’s encouraging to hear about the many ways improved access to mental health care can reduce violence, homelessness and substance abuse across the board,” said Whiteford, a registered nurse.

Whiteford said she especially enjoyed hearing from the State and Community Reform Panel, which provided an overview of the many ways state and local governments can improve access to mental health and addiction services.

“I’m bringing home a lot of really great ideas,” Whiteford said. “It’s so important that we never stop talking about how we can make Michigan a better place for mental health care. I look forward to discussing the things I learned today with my colleagues in Lansing.”