Mental Health for US is a nonpartisan educational initiative focused on elevating mental health and addiction in national policy. Led by former Representative Patrick J. Kennedy and former Senator Gordon H. Smith, the initiative’s main focus is elevating mental health and addiction as key issues in the 2020 election cycle.
The initiative held an advocacy rally in Des Moines, Iowa on September 27 to provide members of the community the tools, training and education they need to be effective voices for these crises throughout the 2020 election.
The lineup included the Executive Director for National Alliance on Mental Illness Iowa, former Representative Patrick J. Kennedy, representatives from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, The Kennedy Forum, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the National Council for Behavioral Health, as well as multiple Iowans who shared their personal stories. Speakers presented on the challenges and stigma faced by the mental health and addiction community, and highlighted necessary solutions to break down these barriers. The 2-hour live-streamed program at Drake University was viewed by more than 3,600 people around the country via Facebook.
On December 16, 2019, Mental Health for US will be holding the Unite for Mental Health: New Hampshire Town Hall, a bipartisan event with 2020 presidential candidates, local advocates and policymakers at the Dana Center at Saint Anselm College.
For more information about Mental Health for US, visit mentalhealthforus.net.