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Raleigh, N.C. / February 15, 2018 –North Carolina Healthcare Association (NCHA) will present Focusing on the Future: Uniting Hospitals, Health Systems and Care Providers for Healthier Communities February 15-16, 2018 at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley. Patrick J. Kennedy, former Rhode Island Congressman and international advocate for parity in mental health and substance use disorder treatment, will deliver the keynote lecture.
According to NCHA, the meeting will address topics including the behavioral health crisis and health care workforce issues. Kennedy, a lifelong mental health advocate and leading spokesperson for mental health parity who served as a Commissioner on the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis, will discuss the importance of integrated care and compliance with the Federal Parity Law.
To register, please visit https://www.ncha.org/.
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About Patrick J. Kennedy:
Former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy (D-R.I.) is a lifelong mental health advocate and member of the President’s Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. He is the founder of The Kennedy Forum, a convening think tank tackling mental health and addiction issues and co-founder of One Mind, a global leader in open science collaboration for brain research. In 2015, he co-authored A Common Struggle, a New York Times best seller, which details his personal journey and provides a roadmap for the future of mental health policy. Mr. Kennedy is pushing for full enforcement of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008. He was the lead sponsor of this groundbreaking legislation, which requires health plans cover mental health, eating disorder, and addiction care health benefits the same way they cover physical health benefits. To learn about Mr. Kennedy’s efforts, please visit www.patrickjkennedy.net.