The Kennedy Forum

We're grateful to have Give an Hour join the Alignment for Progress commitment-maker project. Give an Hour provides mental health support to people impacted by human-made trauma. Learn about making a commitment here: https://lnkd.in/ehA3q8bU.

Policy intern Porter Reyes recently had the pleasure of meeting Co-Founder Patrick J. Kennedy at a discussion on Kennedy’s book “Profiles in Mental Health Courage.” "The work we’re doing really matters, both at the personal level and at the systemic level,” Reyes said. “It’s been an incredible learning experience working with such a knowledgeable and hard-working team. TKF staff have been amazing professional mentors, and I feel so grateful to be apart of this lifesaving work.” The Kennedy Forum’s paid interns are valuable members of our team who get hands-on experience in MH/SUD policy, organizational operations, or non-profit communications — and we’re so proud of what they accomplish here and in their future workplaces.

The Kennedy Forum has long advocated for evidence-based, high-quality mental health and substance use care. Often, we condemn insurance companies for not going far enough in their plans and practices to make this care possible. But as the recent NYTimes article about Acadia Healthcare (https://lnkd.in/gHVSEnSf) shows, providers need to be held accountable as well. Holding patients against their will harkens back to the days in our country when mental health was poorly understood, demonized, and criminalized. We cannot tolerate these practices, even in isolation. It’s incumbent on all providers to ensure practices like these have no place in their treatment model. They are illegal, harmful, and utterly inconsistent with evidence-based quality care. Let us move forward, not backward, in our pursuit of the north star goals (https://lnkd.in/g-xUU5ct) of 90% screened, 90% of those needing treatment receiving quality care and 90% of those living in recovery to ensure better mental health care for all.

Accessing quality care for mental health and substance disorders depends on a strong behavioral health workforce. In less than a month, Oceans Healthcare CEO Stuart Archer will join us to discuss existing barriers in the mental health care workforce and potential solutions. Register today for the Alignment for Progress conference: https://lnkd.in/e2ADZe2r September 24-25 in Washington, DC

A recent slate of bills in California aimed to empower regulators and increase insurance accountability. “‘It’s sad to see some of these good faith efforts by advocates to try to bring accountability to the system kind of fall under the weight of a cost estimate that we don’t have a lot of insight into from the department,’ said Lauren Finke, policy director for The Kennedy Forum, one of the bill’s sponsors.” Our years of work alongside advocates in California have resulted in bills like SB 855 which requires that insurers cover medically necessary treatment for all mental health and substance use disorders. We’re heartened to work alongside these advocates to continue to push for regulators to make getting care more consumer-friendly and accessible. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/gHPGVRHq

Let’s face it — it’s not an accident that some states have better mental health protections than others. This is incredibly important reporting from ProPublica and we were honored to take part in their series on MH insurance coverage state-by-state. In places where we’ve worked for decades, like Illinois and California, we’ve seen that laws and regulations guaranteeing more equitable coverage are possible — and scalable, as our senior director of policy points out: “States are laboratories for innovation,” said Lauren Finke, senior director of policy at The Kennedy Forum, a nonprofit that has advocated for state legislation that improves access to mental health care. “States can take it forward and use it for proof of concept, and then that can absolutely be reflected at the federal level.” In fact, all or part of our state parity model legislation is already in place in dozens of states, with more guidance to come. If you haven’t already, read the article to see which policies your state is (or isn't) working on to ensure the well-being of its citizens, and make sure to stay connected to our work by signing up for our newsletter as we provide more resources for states to make equitable insurance coverage policy easier: https://lnkd.in/eTMRpY-s Read the article: https://lnkd.in/g65VfUMn

THANK YOU! We recently reached our goal of 150 Commitment Makers, organizations doing their part to address mental health and substance use disorders (MH/SUDs) in the U.S. Together, we are working toward a bold vision: 90% of the population is screened for MH/SUD, 90% receive quality treatments, and 90% manage symptoms and achieve recovery. We are so proud of each and every one of these 150 game-changers and change-makers who are transforming the prevention, treatment, and care of MH/SUD. See all 150 Commitment Makers: https://lnkd.in/eGqzyth9 Learn more about making a commitment: https://lnkd.in/ehA3q8bU

“Insurance reimbursement barely covered the gas it took to get to my office.” In this first piece of a series of reports on insurance coverage for mental health, ProPublica investigates why therapists leave insurance networks. Spoiler alert: Providers often face red tape, insurance companies questioning the necessity of care, low reimbursement rates, and delayed payments. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/gtjpcZst

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 1 in 4 (28.7 percent) adults in the United States have some type of disability. At the Alignment for Progress conference, we’re featuring three brilliant minds from the government, nonprofit, and private sectors discussing disability care and the intersection between mental and physical disabilities:   - United States Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, Kristen Clarke - Executive Director of the Disability & Philanthropy Forum, Sandy Ho - K. Ventures Managing Partner, Christopher McKelvy We believe disability rights are the next frontier of parity, ensuring robust protections for those with physical and mental disabilities equally. We are looking forward to hearing the perspective of these impressive leaders on the topic. Register today so that you can, too! https://lnkd.in/eBmwAmQJ

We can't wait to hear Erin Parks, Ph.D. and other panelists speak about the mental health and substance care workforce. The Alignment for Progress conference is  just 5 weeks away — register today: https://lnkd.in/e2ADZe2r