Boston officials call for greater youth mental health investment at East Boston event

BOSTON -- August 3, 2022, Boston officials rally around youth mental health at East Boston community center visit. At-Large City Councilor Erin Murphy, chair of the Council's Committee on Public Health, Mental Health, and Homelessness, joined State Representative Adrienne Madero at Zoomix in East Boston to press for greater investment in youth behavioral health and school programming. Murphy highlighted that Boston Public Schools spend roughly $78 per student on arts, athletics, and after-school activities against a per-pupil budget of $26,000 to $27,000. She cited a December 7, 2021, U.S. Surgeon General advisory and a joint declaration of national emergency from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Academy of Pediatrics as evidence of an escalating crisis, and noted hospitals are recording surging mental health emergency visits among children. Murphy said the city's ARPA allocation represents a "once-in-a-lifetime investment" to address the gap.