2024

Patrick Kennedy & co-author, Stephen Fried, release “Profiles in Mental Health Courage” portraying the dramatic journeys of a diverse group of Americans who have struggled with their mental health. This book offers deeply compelling stories about the bravery and resilience of those living with a variety of mental illnesses and addictions.

2024

Peter J. O’Brien, co-founder of The Kennedy Forum Illinois, and CEO of MADO Healthcare serves as the 69th Grand Marshall for the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Parade.  Patrick Kennedy is the special guest and The Kennedy Forum is the named charity.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2024

Patrick, Amy, and their children, Harper, Owen, Nora, Nell, and Marshall attend the White House
St. Patrick’s Day Celebration in honor of His Excellency Leo Varadkar, Taoiseach of Ireland.

2024

The Kennedy Forum and Alexandria Summit host the 2nd Annual Alexandria-Kennedy Forum Health Care Summit in Washington, DC.  LizFowler, Ph.D., J.D., Deputy Administrator and Director of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMS Innovation Center) joins for a fireside chat.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2024

Patrick joined Healthsperien, as a Partner, to lead their national mental health and addiction policy practice.

2023

Kennedy calls for “90/90/90 by 2023!” A goal to have 90% of all individuals screened for mental and substance use disorders, 90% of those in need able to receive evidence-based treatment, and 90% of those receiving treatment able to manage their symptoms in recovery.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2023

Patrick Kennedy and The Kennedy Forum launched the Alignment for Progress, a National Strategy for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders, which is a  dynamic resource for federal policymakers that lays the groundwork for a community system of care and defines a shared path forward toward better mental health and substance use care for all.

2023

Patrick testifies about parity before the Department of Labor, EBSA.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2023

Patrick and Amy attend the White House event: Improving Access to Mental Health.

2023

Patrick and Amy host seventeen sitting Governors at their home in New Jersey to discuss youth mental health.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2022

Patrick attends the White House event: Celebration of Passing the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

2022

Patrick speaks at the White House event: Hiding in Plain Sight: Youth Mental Illness.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2020

Patrick serves on the Biden Health Care Committee

2020

Patrick participates in the CEO Huddle with other CEOs from key mental health organizations across the country to develop a unified vision for transforming mental health and substance use care to improve the lives of people living with these conditions through a transformed system of care.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2020

Patrick co-chairs the Action Alliance’s National Response to COVID-19, which brings together public and private sectors to lead a coordinated mental health and suicide prevention response with Dr. Joshua A. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

2019

Patrick co-chairs Mental Health for US, with former U.S. Senator Gordon Smith (R-OR), a nonpartisan initiative designed to elevate mental health and addiction in policy conversations during the 2020 election cycle

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2018

Patrick attends the White House Opioid Event: A Year of Historic Action to Combat the Opioid Crisis.

2018

Patrick J. Kennedy co-founded Psych Hub, with Marjorie Morrison, the most comprehensive online learning platform on mental health, substance use, and suicide prevention topics in the world.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2018

Patrick and The Kennedy Forum found DontDenyMe to ensure consumers know their right to receive equal access to mental health and addiction treatment services.

2017

Patrick and former Congressman Jim Ramstad (R-MN) form ParityPAC a Federal Leadership PAC to support federal candidates who are taking a leadership role in advancing mental health equity, regardless of party affiliation.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2017

Patrick J Kennedy served on the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. His personal contributions to the final report focused on the declaration of a federal emergency and strong parity-based recommendations.

2017

The White House hosts the Future of Health Care in America, A Discussion with President Barack Obama, Vox’s Ezra Klein and Sarah Kliff

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2016

Patrick attends The 21st Century Cares Act Signing at the White House.

2016

Patrick attends the White House Making Health Care Better series, Suicide Prevention.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2016

Advocates for Opioid Recovery (AOR) recruits former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former U.S. Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy and CEO of the REFORM Alliance Van Jones to create a bipartisan initiative focused solely on promoting evidence-based treatment for OUD in order to help more people become long-term opioid addiction survivors.

2015

Patrick and Amy attend a discussion with Vice President Joseph Biden at the White House, A Discussion on the Jesse Lewis Empowering Educators Act.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2015

Release of the New York Times Bestseller, “A Common Struggle: A Personal Journey Through the Past and Future of Mental Illness and Addiction”

In this intensely personal account, Patrick shared his recovery from bipolar disorder and addiction, reflected on the tendency to treat mental illness as a family secret, and provided a blueprint for the future of mental health policy in America.

2014

Patrick attends the White House’s 25th Anniversary Celebration of ONDCP’s National Alcohol & Drug Addiction Recovery Month

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2014

Co-founded the Kennedy Forum Illinois

Patrick partners with Peter J. O’Brien, CEO of MADO Healthcare to co-found The Kennedy Forum Illinois to work toward lasting change in the way mental health and addictions are considered and treated in the State of Illinois.

2013

White House, ONDCP Drug Policy Reform Conference

In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the JFK Symposium
Patrick served as a panelist, Lifting the Stigma of Addiction, a discussion of medication assisted recovery

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2013

Patrick & Amy Kennedy co-founded the Kennedy Forum

Patrick and Amy Kennedy co-founded, The Kennedy Forum, a non-profit organization whose mission is to lead a national dialogue on transforming mental health and addiction care delivery by aligning mental health advocates, business leaders, and government agencies around a common set of principles, including full implementation of the Federal Parity Law. The Forum aims to achieve health equity by advancing evidence-based practices, policies, political will, and programming in mental health and addiction treatment.

2013

Patrick co-founded Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM) with David Frum and Kevin Sabet.

Learn More.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2012

Co-founded One Mind

Together with Garen and Shari Staglin, Patrick started One Mind to help eliminate the stigma of brain disease and to lead the community in revolutionizing collaboration, research, and funding. By forming global partnerships within the governmental, corporate, scientific, and philanthropic communities, One Mind is accelerating large-scale research through “Open Science” data sharing and collaboration.

2011

Marriage to Amy Savell

More about Amy.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2010

Championed legislation to expand the use of electronic health records

Patrick introduced the Health Information Technology Extension for Behavioral Health Services Act to improve the diagnosis and treatment of mental health conditions and addictions by extending financial incentive eligibility to behavioral health providers for the use of electronic health records.

2008

Passed Landmark Legislation to End Insurance Discrimination Against People Experiencing Mental Illness and Addiction

Patrick built bipartisan support and led the passage of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush. The Parity Act requires insurance companies to cover of the brain, like bipolar disorder or alcohol use disorder, the same as diseases of the body, like cancer or heart disease. In addition to its powerful legal protections, the Federal Parity Law reduces the stigma surrounding behavioral health conditions.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2007

Provided leadership to support the mental health of first responders

Patrick championed the Ready, Willing, and Able Act, which called on the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a working group on the development of community-based disaster preparedness.

2004

Championed Law on the Prevention and Early Intervention of College Suicides

Patrick was instrumental in the passage of the Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act. This law increased access to mental health services for college students and expanded youth suicide prevention and early intervention.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2004

Brought Awareness to Information Technology Through National Conference

Patrick organized the first of several Frontiers of Healthcare conferences, which focused on transforming healthcare through information technology. Patrick was joined with then Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich at the conference.

2001

Patrick and Dr. David Satcher Begin Their Mental Health Advocacy Partnership

Patrick and Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher held hearings in Providence, RI at the State House on children’s mental health. Dr. Satcher released the first Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health in 1999 and continues to work with Patrick on increasing access to mental health care through the Kennedy Center for Mental Health Policy and Research housed within the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at the Morehouse School of Medicine.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2001

Passed Monumental Legislation on Children’s Mental Health

Patrick was the lead sponsor of the Foundations for Learning Act. This bill established a grant program to improve mental and emotional health for school children through screening and early intervention. The bill was incorporated into the No Child Left Behind law, which was signed into law by President George W. Bush on January 9, 2002.

2001

Begins Service on the Powerful Appropriations Committee

Patrick joined the House Appropriations Committee where he served on two subcommittees: (1) Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies and (2) Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies. This is the influential panel that has authority over all of the federal government’s discretionary spending. While Patrick was appointed to the Appropriations Committee in 1998, he did not begin his position until after his tenure as Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2000

Becomes a Public Advocate for Mental Health Care Reform

At an event with Tipper Gore, Patrick reveals in public for the first time that he suffered from depression and that he had been treated by a psychiatrist. This moment marks Patrick’s entrance as a leading public advocate for mental health and substance use disorder reform.

1999

Served as the Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

Patrick became the Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Patrick served as the Chairman until 2001.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1994

Elected to Congress

Patrick was elected as a Democrat to represent the 1st Congressional District of Rhode Island. Patrick was the youngest member of Congress in 1995 and served on the House Armed Services Committee. He was re-elected seven times and served until January 3, 2011 when he left Congress to focus on a healthier lifestyle and start a family.

1989

Championed Gun Reform Legislation

Patrick was the primary sponsor of a bill that mandated a seven-day waiting period before purchasing firearms.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1988

Elected to Rhode Island Legislature

Patrick became the youngest member of the Kennedy family to hold public office when he won election to the Rhode Island House of Representatives at age 21 while a junior at Providence College.

Click here to learn more about Patrick’s efforts to chart a course for the integrated health care system we desperately need.