In an opinion piece in USA Today (2/5), former US Surgeon General David Satcher, MD, PhD, director of the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at the Morehouse School of Medicine, and former US Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI), founder of the Kennedy Forum, announce “a partnership between the Kennedy Forum and Morehouse School of Medicine that will fulfill President Kennedy’s vision of ensuring the best possible mental well-being for every American.” First, Satcher and Kennedy call for complete implementation of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. Second, they call for increased “focus on greater innovation to expand research and further our knowledge of the brain.” Third, they seek improved access to “high quality” mental healthcare not only by increasing the number of mental healthcare professionals, but also by asking primary care physicians to “make mental health part of their charge.” Fourth, Kennedy and Satcher call for “better integration to bring mental health into the mainstream” of US medicine.
Related Links:
— “Satcher-Kennedy: How to fix mental health system,” David Satcher and Patrick J. Kennedy, USA Today, February 4, 2015.