Dear Friends,

I hope you’ve enjoyed a great start to autumn and had a happy Halloween! During the first week of October, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) marked Mental Illness Awareness Week [ [link removed] ] by amplifying real-life stories of people with mental illness in their series “What I Wish I Had Known.” And we celebrated World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10, renewing our commitment to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health and mental illness.

Here’s more of what I’ve been working on:

* Phantom providers are a nightmare for parents *
In a blog post for The Kennedy Forum, I wrote about the nationwide problem of “phantom” mental health providers who appear on insurance directories but aren’t available to provide services. Parents navigating this false advertising can become so frustrated they either pay out of pocket for treatment or forgo critical care altogether. Read more about phantom providers and what advocates are doing to remedy the situation. [ [link removed] ]

* College students need support to deal with mental health challenges *
In the wake of three tragic student deaths by suicide this semester at North Carolina State University, I spoke with WRAL about the need to make mental health resources more readily available on college campuses. NC State's decision to hold a campus-wide Wellness Day in response to the current crisis is an important step, but I hope the school will listen to students calling for more proactive measures like screenings for anxiety and depression, and help for those struggling with social isolation and difficulty concentrating. Watch the story from WRAL News. [ [link removed] ]

* Sounding the alarm for kids’ mental health *
One year ago, Sound the Alarm for Kids declared the kids’ mental health crisis a national emergency. I joined the anniversary week of action to call for more legislation to get our nation’s kids access to the critical mental health services they need. [ [link removed] ]

*National Governors Association (NGA) Initiative on Strengthening Youth Mental Health*
In July, I joined New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy in a conversation on his initiative as NGA Chair: Strengthening Youth Mental Health. Earlier this month, we began a national tour to expand the conversation with a meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, where we discussed the initiative’s first pillar on prevention and resilience. Each of the initiative’s four pillars, informed by policy guidance from The Kennedy Forum, are vital to ensuring our young people have every chance to succeed. You can read more about the Chairman’s Initiative on the NGA website. [ [link removed] ]

*LIFT receives Shine Global’s inaugural Children’s Resilience in Film Award*
I was honored to be on the jury panel for Shine Global’s first-ever Children’s Resilience in Film Awards. The winner, LIFT, shines a spotlight on homelessness through the eyes of a group of young home-insecure ballet dancers enrolled in New York Theatre Ballet’s LIFT program. Read more about the Resilience in Film Awards. [ [link removed] ]

*Conversations about youth mental health*
As part of the New Jersey Department of Human Services’ (DHS) virtual conference “Connecting Communities to Save Lives” on Oct. 12, I joined DHS Commissioner Sarah Adelman to discuss current and planned initiatives to prevent suicide.

On the Oct. 20 episode of the Beyond Theory podcast, I joined host Dominic Lawson to share my thoughts on the critical need to expand mental health resources in our schools. Listen to the full episode: [ [link removed] ]

Also in October, we celebrated a few milestones on the home front. We all celebrated my dad Jerry’s birthday on Oct. 10, and our daughter Nellie lost both of her front teeth!

With Election Day right around the corner, remember your vote matters for people with mental health conditions. Take the pledge to #Vote4MentalHealth at [link removed]

And visit [link removed] to make your plan to vote.

All the best,
Amy Kennedy
Pronouns: She/Her




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