2024 Policy Institute
National Policy Institute: Social Drivers of Mental Health
Washington, D.C.
In-person and streaming virtually (through MHA's Conference app)
Date: Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Time: 1 - 5 p.m. ET followed by a networking reception at 5 - 6 p.m.
Location: Capital Hilton, 1001 16th St NW, Washington, D.C. 20036
As part of MHA’s conference theme, “Disrupt. Reform. Transform." MHA’s National Policy Institute will focus on social drivers of mental health – the broader relational or societal factors which affect a person’s mental health outcomes, and how policy can support integrating together clinical and community-based solutions that promote improvements in social drivers of mental health.
The National Policy Institute will be held on Tuesday, September 17th, 2024 at 1 – 5 p.m. ET (following by a networking reception at 5 – 6 p.m. ET) and will focus on several social drivers of mental health that impact youth and young adults, and their families. We will highlight policies and programs that are effectively addressing individuals' health-related social needs, and changes elected officials and policymakers can make to better prioritize whole-person, whole-health initiatives.
We understand that medicine and clinical treatment alone will never help families achieve mental wellness (and wasn’t designed to) and that to improve population mental health and prevent mental health conditions from developing or being exacerbated, human services agencies and health systems must engage together to better meet the social drivers of health – that are not typically addressed in clinical settings.
We are excited to welcome speakers from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to share how states and agencies are already taking advantage of new opportunities to focus on linking care to housing, healthy food, and other non-clinical needs. We will also hear from experts on economic policies that can both help uplift families out of poverty and improve mental health while connecting families to mental health care through peer support specialists. We are again excited to include the voices of young national advocates and will award one young person the 2024 Youth Advocacy Award.
The meeting kicks off MHA’s week of annual conference activities and incorporates the broader conference theme to interrupt harmful or exclusionary practices, offer evidence-informed policy and practice solutions, and re-imagine a future in which all persons are equipped from the very beginning of life with what they need to achieve their optimal mental health and well-being.
Agenda
1 p.m.
Welcome and Opening Remarks
- Caren Howard, MHA Senior Director of Policy & Advocacy
- Schroeder Stribling, MHA CEO
- Simon Borger, Kaiser Permanente VP for Mental Health and Wellness
1:15 p.m.
Youth Voice Empowered
- Saiarchana Darira, MHA's Youth Policy Accelerator alumna
1:25 p.m.
Panel 1: Integrating Care in Schools and Social Drivers
- Lena O'Rourke, Healthy Schools Campaign
- Sydney Daniello, MHA Public Policy Manager of Projects & Events
- Alexandra Mays, Kaiser Permanente Program Lead for Student Behavioral Health
- Moderated by Renee Norden, Executive Director of MHA Fauquier County (VA)
2:20 p.m.
Fireside Chat on Health-Related Social Needs in Medicaid
- Jessica Lee, Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services
- Moderated by Danna Mauch, Executive Director of Massachusetts Association of Mental Health
Break
3:05 p.m.
Panel 2: Housing and Food
- Richard Cho, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Sakeenah Shabazz, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- Moderated by Mary Jones, Executive Director of MHA of South Central Kansas
3:55 p.m.
Panel 3: Economic Security
- Tegan Lecheler, Bridge Project
- Anna Bailey, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
- Moderated by Tonya Fulwider, Executive Director MHA Ohio and 2023 Richard Van Horn Innovation in Programming Award Winner
4:45 p.m.
Youth Policy Advocacy Awards Presentation to Cole Ramsey of Indiana
- Presented by Kelly Davis, MHA AVP Youth and Peer Advocacy and Brandi Christiansen, Executive Director of MHA Wabash Valley (IN)
4:55 p.m.
Closing
5 p.m.
Networking Reception
About Mental Health America
Mental Health America (MHA) - founded in 1909 - is the nation’s leading community-based nonprofit dedicated to addressing the needs of those living with mental illness and to promoting the overall mental health of all Americans. Our work is driven by our commitment to promote mental health as a critical part of overall wellness, including prevention services for all; early identification and intervention for those at risk; integrated care, services, and supports for those who need it; with recovery as the goal.
Questions about the program?
Contact MHA's Director of Policy and Advocacy, Caren Howard, at choward@mhanational.org or Public Policy Manager of Projects and Events, Sydney Daniello at sdaniello@mhanational.org.
Watch Past meetings
2023 Policy Institute: Tweens, Teens, and Technology
2022 Policy Institute: A Bi-Directional Approach to Bring Together Public Health and Mental Health
2021 Policy Institute: Addressing Youth Mental Health Needs in Schools (Read MHA's 2021 Policy Report on education, services, and supports to address the K-12 student mental health crisis.)
2020 Policy Institute Moving Upstream: Prevention and Early Intervention
This event is supported by contributions from Kaiser Permanente.
