On Monday, August 29, 2016, Secretary Hillary Clinton announced a comprehensive mental health policy agenda, the first ever for a U.S. Presidential candidate. We at One Mind applaud this plan as part of the growing groundswell of leadership by officials of both parties to improve our nation’s brain healthcare system.
Crafted with the input of advocates across the U.S., Secretary Clinton’s agenda addresses many of the critical shortcomings of our nation’s mental healthcare. Among the agenda’s initiatives, many echo the work One Mind, One Mind and the Kennedy Forum have led the advocacy community in promoting:
- Investment in neuroscience, with special support for open science principles. The agenda specifically calls out One Mind’s leadership in open science.
- Promotion of early diagnosis and early treatment
- Full enforcement of mental health parity laws, as passed by the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 and the Affordable Care Act.
Other highlights include:
- A national suicide prevention initiative
- Integration of national mental healthcare with physical healthcare
- Expansion of community-based treatment
- Supported housing and employment for recovering individuals
- Favoring treatment over incarceration for nonviolent offenders
We at One Mind commend this agenda as a momentous step forward for brain health advocacy.