When: Wednesday, April 6, 2022, 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. EDT
What: In his March 1 State of the Union address, President Biden urged the nation to continue fighting for access to quality medical care and support for those living with mental illness. His remarks underscore the barriers to high-quality care present in our current treatment system, especially for those from disadvantaged communities. Too often the responsibility of responding to mental health crisis falls to the criminal justice system resulting in preventable injuries and deaths, costly incarceration, and poor mental health outcomes.
President Biden shared strategies to address what he termed “the national mental health crisis” as a part of his unity agenda, a set of policies that have received support from both sides of the aisle. Specifically, the president’s strategy aims to strengthen system capacity, connect more Americans to care, and create a continuum of support—transforming our health and social services infrastructure to address mental health holistically and equitably.
On Wednesday, April 6, the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy will facilitate discussion of President Biden’s strategy and the work mental health organizations and advocates are doing on the ground. Susan Rice, director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, will open with remarks, followed by a short interview of Rice by David Blumenthal, the president of the Commonwealth Fund. The event will conclude with a panel discussion between mental health experts, stakeholders, and advocates moderated by Richard Frank, director of the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy.
During the live event, viewers can submit questions via email to events@brookings.edu or on Twitter using #MentalHealthisHealth.