Our work shaping and reporting on national mental health policy is made possible through a capacity grant from the Perigee Fund.
On September 24th and 25th, the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health attended the Kennedy Forum’s Alignment for Progress Conference at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. We joined hundreds of leaders in the mental health and substance use disorder (MH/SUD) community.
The Kennedy Forum was founded on the 50th anniversary of the passage of President John F. Kennedy’s Community Mental Health Act. The opening speaker of the event, Co-Founder Patrick J. Kennedy shared his goals to “get the stakeholders to align” through their Alignment for Progress’s 90-90-90 vision for 2033 campaign.
The 90-90-90 vision aims to accomplish the following in the next ten years:
- 90% of individuals being screened for mental health conditions or substance use disorders;
- 90% receiving the evidence-based services and supports they need, and
- 90% of those treated being able to manage their symptoms and achieve recovery.
In 2023, The Kennedy Forum has asked for commitments around specific goals, and tracks those commitments. The Policy Center serves as a Commitment Maker and makes the following commitment to the Alignment for Progress Initiative:
“The Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health commits to building awareness among national non-profits and policymakers around the need to “carve in” mental health/substance use benefits and provider insurance contracts, as we believe that the heart is not carved out of the body for insurance/coverage purposes, nor should the brain for mental health/substance use care and treatment.”
View our Carving In Behavioral Health Issue Brief Here
Our Policy staff was able to share this commitment at the Alignment for Progress Conference, emphasizing the importance of carving in mental health care to hundreds of policy leaders, and bringing maternal mental health to the forefront of the conversation.
