Event

With millions of Americans experiencing negative impacts on their mental and emotional well-being as a result of COVID-19, the Mental Health & Suicide Prevention National Response to COVID-19 (National Response)—a national partnership of major federal agencies and private sector groups—is launching its much-anticipated An Action Plan for Strengthening Mental Health and the Prevention of Suicide in the Aftermath of COVID-19 (Action Plan). The Action Plan—informed by the National Response’s Steering Committee of 30+ influential multi-sector leaders, led by Co-Chairs Dr. Joshua Gordon, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, and former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, founder of The Kennedy Forum—aims to create meaningful and lasting change by strengthening systems, programs, data, and policies to ensure equitable and accessible mental health and suicide prevention care, support, and services now and in the aftermath of the pandemic.

To highlight the critical need for urgent action, the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention (Action Alliance)—which serves as the group mobilizing the National Response—will host a 30-minute, media-only call with Dr. Gordon and Congressman Kennedy to:

• discuss the recently released Action Plan, aimed to help advance the six key priorities of the National Response;
• highlight the nation’s first and only public-private partnership formed to unify and galvanize national level action around mental health and suicide prevention in response to COVID-19; and
• provide timely and relevant information to help generate greater story ideas about mental health and suicide prevention.

Speakers include:

• Dr. Joshua Gordon, Director, National Institute of Mental Health, and Public Sector Chair, National Response
• Former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, Founder, The Kennedy Forum, and Private Sector Chair, National Response
• Ms. Colleen Carr, Director, National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, Education Development Center (Moderator)