Governors Address Behavioral Health Needs for 2025

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Across the country, governors continue to make behavioral health a priority—using their State of the State, budget, and inaugural addresses to highlight investments in behavioral health infrastructure, workforce, and treatment. According to an analysis by The Pew Charitable Trusts, 32 governors referenced mental health in speeches addressing their constituencies in early 2025.

This is in line with last year, when a majority of governors also prioritized behavioral health in their State of the State addresses. With 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experiencing mental illness, leaders from both parties recognize the urgent need to expand access to quality care—particularly in rural communities and among vulnerable populations.

States are investing in behavioral health infrastructure

In their speeches, several governors underscored the need to enhance behavioral health infrastructure, with expanded treatment facilities and new initiatives aimed at filling critical service gaps. In Massachusetts, Governor Maura Healey (D) pointed to the opening of 31 Community Behavioral Health Centers across the state, which have already provided crisis care to over 30,000 young people.

“No one, especially a child, should sit for hours or days in an emergency room waiting for mental health care,” she said.

Hawaii’s Governor Josh Green (D) proposed additional funding for psychiatric beds at Hawaii State Hospital, aiming to provide inpatient mental health services while addressing chronic homelessness. Similarly, Ohio’s Governor Mike DeWine (R) shared that his state recently opened a new behavioral health hospital—the first in nearly a decade—and constructed and expanded 11 behavioral health facilities specifically for youth, serving over 100,000 people since last year.

Nevada’s Governor Joe Lombardo (R) introduced a plan to create an Office of Mental Health within the proposed Nevada Health Authority, ensuring a more coordinated approach to behavioral health services. Meanwhile, New Mexico’s Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) called for $100 million to expand behavioral health initiatives and launched new Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics in seven counties.

The need to strengthen the workforce

A shortage of behavioral health providers remains a significant barrier to care, and governors are taking action to address it. Hawaii’s Healthcare Education Loan Repayment (HELP) program provides up to $50,000 per year in student loan repayments for health care professionals who commit to working in the state, and Gov. Green said the program is “placing extra emphasis” on directing the payments to “mental health and addiction treatment” specialists. In her inaugural address earlier this year, Governor Kelly Ayotte (R) of New Hampshire identified licensing barriers as a challenge to growing her state’s provider pipeline and proposed partnering with community colleges and universities to expand training opportunities. Similarly, Oregon’s Governor Tina Kotek (D) outlined in this year’s State of the State address a dual strategy of increasing treatment capacity and stabilizing the size of Oregon’s behavioral health workforce, and noted that the state’s budget included $50 million dedicated to support behavioral health workers and improve retention.

In Washington, Governor Bob Ferguson’s (D) included a mention in his State of the State address of behavioral health professionals when he discussed his hope for the proposed Homes for Heroes program, which would support home ownership for essential workers. South Carolina’s Governor Henry McMaster (R), in a speech earlier this year, reflected on an analysis that found that the state had the “most fragmented and siloed health and human service delivery system in the nation” and urged stronger collaboration with the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Disabilities and Special Needs in 2025.

The importance of addressing addiction with mental health

Adults with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders are over-arrested and under-treated, according to a Pew analysis of National Survey on Drug Use and Health data. Recognizing this trend, many governors addressed the intersection of mental health and substance use disorders, emphasizing the need for integrated treatment approaches. As New Hampshire’s Gov. Ayotte said, “All too often, substance use treatment and mental health care are siloed, when it would be more beneficial for these challenges to be addressed together.”

Kentucky’s Governor Andy Beshear (D) promoted the state’s Recovery Ready Communities initiative, which helps localities provide comprehensive addiction recovery resources. Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s Governor Tony Evers (D) reinforced the importance of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, highlighting it as a resource of “help and hope” for anyone struggling. He publicly thanked the family of the late member of the Milwaukee Common Council Jonathan Brostoff, who died by suicide last year, for attending his State of the State address, and said that the death of his former colleague (Brostoff served in the Wisconsin State Assembly from 2015 to 2022) reflects a “heartache [that] has become far too common” for “too many Wisconsinites.”

In her State of the Budget address, Maine’s Governor Janet Mills (D) mentioned that the legislature approved $4 million to expand medication-assisted treatment in county jails. And Virginia’s Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) used his State of the Commonwealth address to frame his state’s behavioral health transformation efforts as a way to provide the “Right Help, Right Now,” a reference to an initiative designed to ensure that people receive support at all stages of crisis and recovery.

Efforts to expand access in rural and underserved areas

Governors from rural states are acutely aware of the difficulties of providing accessible behavioral health services outside major urban areas. South Dakota’s then-Governor Kristi Noem (R) highlighted in her State of the State address what she characterized as a “first-in-the-nation initiative” that integrates telehealth services into ambulances, allowing people in transit to a hospital or other health care facility to speak to a doctor on what can often be, in remote locations, a long ride. In his State of the State address, Texas’ Governor Greg Abbott (R) reaffirmed his commitment to expanding mental health care funding, particularly in rural areas. Tennessee’s Governor Bill Lee (R) emphasized how savings from Medicaid reforms are being reinvested into mental health and rural health initiatives. Meanwhile, Wyoming’s Governor Mark Gordon (R) spotlighted community-based mental health solutions, including peer-coaching programs designed to support veterans struggling with psychological challenges.

A bipartisan commitment to mental health

Despite their ideological differences, governors across the political spectrum are demonstrating a shared commitment to improving behavioral health care for people with mental health and substance use disorders. Whether through expanded crisis services, workforce development, or new treatment initiatives, their proposals reflect a prioritization of mental health infrastructure for state leadership in 2025—and beyond.

Julie Wertheimer directs research and policy for The Pew Charitable Trusts’ mental health and justice partnerships project.