The AP (10/21, Smith) reported that the Community Mental Health Act, signed Oct. 31, 1963 by President John F. Kennedy, “aimed to build mental health centers accessible to all Americans so that those with mental illnesses could be treated while working and living at home, rather than being kept in neglectful and often abusive state institutions.” Half a century later, President Kennedy’s nephew, former Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), pointed out that the US still has no “alternate policy to address the needs of” people with severe mental illnesses, many of whom are homeless or are incarcerated. This week in Boston at the Kennedy Forum, the former congressman is gathering mental health advocates to put together an agenda focusing on how to improve mental healthcare.
Related Links:
— “Kennedy’s Vision For Mental Health Never Realized, “Michelle R. Smith, Associated Press, October 20, 2013.