Greetings!
Much has changed since we last spoke! I’m thrilled to share updates with you all below:
‘We Can’t Wait’: New Jersey Education Senate Committee Hearing
Last month, Inseparable, The Kennedy Forum, and 15 other leading organizations, released “America’s School Mental Health Report Card”. Through these report cards, we unveiled a comprehensive, evidence-based examination of how each state scores on their policies supporting school-based mental health. For New Jersey, it’s worth highlighting that we were all over the board in our “grades”: our support for school mental health professionals received a 0/3, due to lack of incentives for school psychologist and social worker career paths and lack of telehealth partnerships to expand access; our mental health education received a 3/3, due to our curriculum requirements. To that end, I testified before the New Jersey Education Senate Committee this month regarding the steps we must take to bolster our school-based mental health supports in our state, along with other key mental health advocates and experts. You can read more about the guidance we forwarded to the motivated leaders within the senate committee here.
Youth Mental Health Convening with Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association
On March 29th, I moderated a panel discussion on school-based mental health for the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association in Washington, D.C., following an early screening of Ken Burns’ upcoming film “Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness”, set to air on PBS June 27th and 28th. For this critical conversation, I was joined by Lt. Governor Bethany Hall-Long of Delaware, Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II of Michigan, and Bill Smith, Founder of Inseparables. The energy in the room was striking. It was clear that the lieutenant governors are motivated to make a change in their states.
Mental health screenings: what we’re missing and how some states are taking action
With five children, Patrick and I have heard our fair share about school physicals over the years. But one thing is always missing: mental health. As a society, we’re letting a critical opportunity to monitor an increasingly at-risk component of kids’ health fall by the wayside. An additional 15-minutes per year—during which a handful of mental health questions are incorporated into a built-in school physical—could provide a vital counterweight to these hurdles, and be the difference between life and death for some students. You can read my complete blog post on the need for mental health screenings and how some states are taking action here.
Tim Alexander for Congress
I’m proud to endorse Tim Alexander for New Jersey’s 2nd Congressional District. Tim has the life-experience informed comprehension of civil rights necessary to pursue the change we need to see nationwide. Considering Jeff Van Drew yet again voted no on Bill H.R. 4445 which not only drew bipartisan support but was also a bill that Van Drew originally co-sponsored, it’s critical that we have a strong candidate fighting to represent our district. I firmly believe the best person to take on that role is Tim Alexander.
“A New Vision for Behavioral Health in the United States”
On March 16th, I was joined by Patrick, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Tom Coderre of SAMHSA, President and CEO Chuck Ingoglia of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, and Vice President of Behavioral Health Suzanne Kunis of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey to discuss and provide insight on critical issues including evidence-based, promising practices, policy & advocacy, and payment models for behavioral health. You can view the entire panel discussion, facilitated by Acenda Health, here.
Social Media and Insurance Companies Have a Moral Obligation to Protect Our Youth
In recognition of Eating Disorder Awareness Month last month, I was motivated to examine the manner in which social media platforms and insurance companies have responded—or failed to respond—to the rising number of adolescents suffering from eating disorders. Considering that eating disorders account for one death every 52 minutes, this is an area of preventative and crisis medicine that we cannot continue to disregard. You can read my full blog post here, and additional steps that can be taken to foster change now can be found here.
Aside from the news, if you’re looking for something new to watch, “DOWNFALL: The Case Against Boeing”, created by Rory Kennedy, is a poignant film available on Netflix.
Above all, I wish each of you good health and a heartened perspective as we welcome spring.
All the best,
Amy Kennedy
Pronouns: She/Her
Email – [email protected]
https://www.amylkennedy.net/
