EIN Presswire | Newsmatics
Amy Kennedy Advises on Youth Mental Health at the National Governors Association Annual Winter Meeting
As a former public-school educator, mother of five, former Congressional candidate, and leader at The Kennedy Forum, Amy brings unique personal and professional experiences to the Youth Mental Health Initiative. At the meeting, Amy – alongside The Kennedy Forum’s President & CEO Rebecca Bagley and Policy Director Lauren Finke – will foster relationships with key stakeholders, participate in the Plenary Session related to the Initiative, and amplify The Kennedy Forum’s policy recommendations that ladder up to the Initiative’s goals.
The Kennedy Forum’s youth mental health policy recommendations, led by Amy, include but are not limited to the following:
• Screen for mental health concerns at all age levels in school and primary care settings and substance use conditions when indicated by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
• Implement standards for K-12 mental health education and building capacity for mental health literacy for youth and their families.
• Ensure commercial reimbursement for medically necessary mental health services through strong coverage requirements and effective regulations.
• Support existing school mental health professionals by ensuring comprehensive benefits coverage for school employees and providing school teaching staff with tools to recognize and respond to mental health concerns and emergencies.
Amy’s advisory role for Governor Murphy’s Initiative was announced this year at the NGA Annual Summer Meeting. The Kennedy Forum works in partnership with the American Psychological Association, Inseparable, and Mental Health America to develop and advocate for these policy recommendations.
About Amy L. Kennedy
Amy Kennedy and her husband, former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, launched The Kennedy Forum in 2013 to advance evidence-based practices, policies, and programming for the treatment of mental health and addiction. As a former educator with 10+ years’ experience in public schools and a mother of five, Amy leads the organization’s youth mental health focus with unique insights and a strong vision for change. She passionately pursues strategic partnerships, collaborations, and advocacy initiatives that emphasize prevention, trauma-informed care, social media safeguards, school-based treatment options, screenings, and more. In 2020, Amy ran for office on a mental health platform in New Jersey’s 2nd congressional district. She currently sits on the board of Parity.org and serves as an advisor to Mental Health America, JED Foundation, Brain Futures, and others.
About The Kennedy Forum
Since 2013, The Kennedy Forum (TKF) has been leading a national effort to achieve systemic reform in the U.S. health care system by advancing evidence-based practices, policies, and programming for the prevention, treatment, and recovery of brain illnesses – specifically mental health and addiction. Former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy led a coalition of diverse stakeholders to pass the most transformative legislation in 50 years, the bipartisan Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. Since leaving congress, he has leveraged that unique role to coalesce a growing set of diverse stakeholders to advance the next generation of mental health and addiction policy through TKF. To learn more about The Kennedy Forum, please visit www.thekennedyforum.org.
Meredith Elkins
The Kennedy Forum
+1 703-862-7174
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