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Care Integration: A Primary-Behavioral-Substance Use Disorder Model​

Mental health is essential health. Yet most primary care providers did not receive significant training in school and fail to screen for or treat even the most common mental health and substance use disorders. Those with challenges are relegated to a separate and unequal system of care - one that has become increasingly more difficult to navigate with countless roadblocks along the way. Join former Congressman Patrick Kennedy, founder of The Kennedy Forum, to learn more about the critical need for integrated care, what it will take to finally build the system we need, and how to unite changemakers for the good of society.

Session Time: 
Wednesday, December 8, 2021 11:00 am to 12:00 pm
Session Category: 
Community Engagement, Public Relations, & Public Policy
Session Type: 
General Session
Learning Objectives: 
• Learn how/why mental health and physical health are siloed both in health care delivery and policy
• Learn why mental health and substance use disorders should not be separated in treatment
• Discover the most important steps on the path to integration
Presenter
Presenter Name: 
Patrick Kennedy
Job Title: 
Former U.S. Representative (D-RI) & Founder
Organization Affiliation: 
The Kennedy Forum
Former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy authored the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which requires insurers to cover treatment for illnesses of the brain on par with treatment for illnesses of the body. As founder of The Kennedy Forum, he now unites advocates, policymakers, and business leaders to advance evidence-based practices and policies in mental health and addiction. In 2017 Kennedy was appointed to the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. He currently serves as co-chair of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention’s Mental Health & Suicide Prevention National Response to COVID-19 (National Response).
Year: 
2021