Open Letter to Candidates for President of the United States of America

November 11, 2019

Dear Candidates,

New Morning Consult data released by the National Council for Behavioral Health shows a majority of voters — regardless of party affiliation — say they are more likely to support a candidate in 2020 who promises to address mental health and addiction. In addition, the survey found that 75 percent of Americans believe the federal government is not doing enough to address mental health.

As a nonpartisan coalition of more than 80 organizations, Mental Health for US proves that our country is united in demanding change. Our policy platform outlines the bare minimum of what needs to be done to transform our systems for the better, now we just need leaders with the courage to get it done. Those running for president cannot ignore the toll that mental illness and addiction are taking on our communities.

Before heading to the polls, our community needs to know how you will work to support people living with mental illness and addiction. We want to see comprehensive plans that ensure prevention is integrated into our health and education systems; that improve access to interventions so that all Americans are able to find quality, affordable treatment; and that invest in a variety of recovery services, treatments, and supports to guarantee everyone can get the mental health and addiction care that fits their needs?

We invite presidential candidates to share your plans and engage with constituents directly at the Unite for Mental Health: New Hampshire Town Hall on December 16.

This event is your chance to get in front of a national audience and talk about issues that affect nearly one in five Americans across the country.

Date: Monday, December 16, 2019
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Dana Center at Saint Anselm College
100 Saint Anselm Dr., Manchester, NH 03102

Please email Alex at alex@mentalhealthforus.net with any questions and to RSVP.

Signed,

Patrick J. Kennedy, Former U.S. Representative
Gordon H. Smith, Former U.S. Senator
Mental Health for US Co-Chairs

Mental Health for US Coalition Leaders

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
• Association for Behavioral Health and Wellness
• The Jed Foundation
• The Kennedy Forum
• Mental Health America
• National Alliance on Mental Illness
• National Coalition for Mental Health Recovery
• National Council for Behavioral Health
• One Mind
• The Scattergood Foundation
• The Voices Project

New Hampshire Host Committee

• American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention New Hampshire
• American Mental Health Counselors’ Association
• Bi-State Primary Care
• Center for Life Management
• Community Partners of Strafford County
• Disability Rights Center
• Granite State Home Health & Hospice Association
• Greater Nashua Mental Health
• Lakes Region Mental Health Center
• Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester
• Mental Health for US
• Monadnock Family Services
• NAMI New Hampshire
• National Council for Behavioral Health
• New Hampshire Medical Society
• New Hampshire Mental Health Counselors Association
• NH Children’s Behavioral Health Collaborative
• NH Community Behavioral Health Association
• NH Psychiatric Association
• Northern Human Services
• Riverbend Community Mental Health, Inc.
• Seacoast Mental Health Center, Inc.
• West Central Behavioral Health

Related posts:

The phone rang on our way to Christmas mass a few years ago. Despite the Scam label, I answered and heard a smooth voice from the St. Mary’s Prayer Center asking me if I was in urgent need of prayer…

I feel I need to write. I don’t even care if anyone reads this. But it will be public, so hopefully someone will. And it’s not like I was not writing before. I’ve been writing short Facebook posts…

Bill Gurley is a General Partner at Benchmark Capital, and Benchmark is one of the leading Venture Capital firms in the world and an early investor in Uber. Bill Gurley, a well known leader in the…