ATX Mental Health Fund is a nonprofit mutual aid fund that provides direct cash assistance to promote mental healthcare accessibility in Austin, Texas. This fund was created to address the needs of Austin residents in the wake of COVID-19. The stress, anxiety, and isolation brought on by the global pandemic has created a mental health crisis in addition to a medical and financial crisis. Many Austinites are losing financial resources that ensure their access to mental healthcare when they need it most. By providing direct cash assistance to residents of Austin who need help covering expenses related to mental healthcare, ATX Mental Health Fund can increase access to vital mental health services during this difficult time for our community.
Even before coronavirus, Texas was the most uninsured state in the country with one in five residents lacking health insurance in 2019. After the wave of unemployment caused by coronavirus, one in three Texans are without health insurance. Within this dismal statistic, there are still disparities in healthcare access for marginalized racial and ethnic groups. The percentage of uninsured residents is higher for Black Texans than for White Texans, and more than double for Latinx Texans. Even for folks with insurance, mental healthcare is often inaccessible due to high copays, a lack of in network providers, excessive prescription cost, or insufficient coverage.
Despite big talk about the importance of investing in mental healthcare, the state government has repeatedly shirked their responsibility to make care accessible by refusing to expand Medicaid, privatizing the administration of public assistance programs to for profit managed care organizations, and failing to make the necessary investments in mental health infrastructure and treatment. We cannot wait for the powers that be to decide we are worthy of survival and care.
We can take care of each other.
Even before coronavirus, Texas was the most uninsured state in the country with one in five residents lacking health insurance in 2019. After the wave of unemployment caused by coronavirus, one in three Texans are without health insurance. Within this dismal statistic, there are still disparities in healthcare access for marginalized racial and ethnic groups. The percentage of uninsured residents is higher for Black Texans than for White Texans, and more than double for Latinx Texans. Even for folks with insurance, mental healthcare is often inaccessible due to high copays, a lack of in network providers, excessive prescription cost, or insufficient coverage.
Despite big talk about the importance of investing in mental healthcare, the state government has repeatedly shirked their responsibility to make care accessible by refusing to expand Medicaid, privatizing the administration of public assistance programs to for profit managed care organizations, and failing to make the necessary investments in mental health infrastructure and treatment. We cannot wait for the powers that be to decide we are worthy of survival and care.
We can take care of each other.
SOURCES
Language for Values Statement from:
Cambridge Mutual Aid Network, used with permission. https://www.cambridgemutualaid.info/about-us/our-values
Statistics from:
Urban Institute- Travis County Characteristics of the Uninsured:
https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/2018/12/10/travis_county_characteristics_of_the_uninsured_in_texas_factsheet.pdf
Uninsured Rates for the Nonelderly by Race/Ethnicity | KFF: https://www.kff.org/uninsured/state-indicator/rate-by-raceethnicity/
Texas has the most people without health insurance in the nation — again | The Texas Tribune: https://www.texastribune.org/2019/09/10/texas-has-most-people-without-health-insurance-nation-again/
Cambridge Mutual Aid Network, used with permission. https://www.cambridgemutualaid.info/about-us/our-values
Statistics from:
Urban Institute- Travis County Characteristics of the Uninsured:
https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/2018/12/10/travis_county_characteristics_of_the_uninsured_in_texas_factsheet.pdf
Uninsured Rates for the Nonelderly by Race/Ethnicity | KFF: https://www.kff.org/uninsured/state-indicator/rate-by-raceethnicity/
Texas has the most people without health insurance in the nation — again | The Texas Tribune: https://www.texastribune.org/2019/09/10/texas-has-most-people-without-health-insurance-nation-again/
Make a Contribution
Please donate what you feel comfortable. Donating funds will not prevent you from later accessing funds. For transparency, we will disclose the amount donated on a public spreadsheet that does not have any personal or identifying donor information.