Washington, D.C. (October 2, 2024) — The Kennedy Forum today announced a $400,000 grant from Elevance Health Foundation to improve substance use disorder (SUD) outcomes and drive collaborations to improve the quality of care for mental health and SUD. Through this funding, The Kennedy Forum will partner with Mobilize Recovery to launch a national bus tour that will help serve community and peer support, evidence-based prevention and recovery strategies, and crisis support resources. Funding from Elevance Health Foundation will also facilitate Mobilize Recovery’s creation of a mobile app that will help individuals find appropriate substance use care.
Since 2013, The Kennedy Forum has led national efforts to transform the way mental health and SUD are treated in the health care system. Since then, the organization has launched and will shepherd an inclusive movement – Alignment for Progress – to ensure every person in the U.S. has access to mental health and SUD treatment services and support they need.
“The U.S. is in a singular moment in time with mental health and substance use. In the aftermath of a world-wide pandemic, with economic uncertainty and global upheaval, we must make meaningful progress to better the nation’s mental health and substance use care,” noted Rebecca O. Bagley, President and CEO of The Kennedy Forum. “We believe that alignment is critical to harnessing the power of the community, and we are grateful for this support from Elevance Health Foundation of our Alignment for Progress Movement and the specific work we will lead in substance use disorder and equity through our partnership with Mobilize Recovery.”
The Kennedy Forum’s 10-year goal for its Alignment for Progress movement calls for 90% of individuals being screened for mental health conditions or SUD, 90% of those who need it receiving evidence-based services and supports, and 90% of those treated managing their symptoms and achieving recovery – all by the year 2033.
“What we need at this moment is to think big and to act big,” says former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, founder of The Kennedy Forum. “We’re about saving your family’s life. Because every single family is affected by these illnesses. The support from Elevance Health Foundation underscores the need and the urgency of our work, and we’re grateful for it.”
The investment from Elevance Health Foundation is part of its larger commitment of $30 million over a three-year span to make significant progress improving the mental health and well-being of people and their communities, with an emphasis on substance use disorders. Through this grant and others, the Foundation recently announced that it has exceeded that goal, awarding more than $33.7 million to SUD programs.
“In 2022, more than 48.7 million Americans reported having a substance use disorder, which is more than a 20% increase from 2020,” said Shantanu Agrawal, MD, Chief Health Officer at Elevance Health. “We are committed to advancing health equity for those with a substance use disorder and through our partnership with The Kennedy Forum, we’re helping people experiencing substance use disorders access the needed support to help them in their recovery.
To learn more about our Alignment for Progress movement, visit here.
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About The Kennedy Forum
Since 2013, The Kennedy Forum (TKF) has been leading a national effort to transform the way mental health and substance use disorder are treated in our healthcare system. In our tenth year, we have set our strategic focus on shepherding an inclusive movement that will ensure every person in the United States has access to the mental health and substance use treatment services and supports they need. Founded by Former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, who led a coalition of diverse stakeholders to pass the bipartisan Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, TKF has leveraged our unique role to coalesce a growing set of partners to advance the next generation of mental health and substance use disorder policy. We are developing innovative, comprehensive, at-scale solutions and catalyzing action for implementing these solutions. At a systems level, we are exploring the next frontier of community mental health by creating an action plan that addresses the urgency of the mental health crisis in America. With TKF’s comprehensive approach to addressing mental health and substance use disorder in this country, our transformational impact will touch and improve lives from coast-to-coast. To learn more about The Kennedy Forum, please visit www.thekennedyforum.org.
About Mobilize Recovery
Mobilize Recovery is dedicated to raising up the voices of people whose lives are affected by addiction. From direct outreach to civic & community engagement, we empower advocates to take direct action by providing digital tools, advocacy training, and education. To learn more, please visit: www.mobilizerecovery.org
About Elevance Health Foundation
Elevance Health Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Elevance Health, Inc. The Foundation works to advance health equity by focusing on improving the health of the socially vulnerable through partnerships and programs in our communities with an emphasis on maternal child health; substance use disorder; and food as medicine. Additionally, the Foundation also responds to disasters when our communities need us the most. Through its key areas of focus, the Foundation strategically aligns with Elevance Health’s focus on community health and becoming a lifetime, trusted health partner that is fueled by its purpose to improve the health of humanity. The Foundation coordinates with the company’s year-round Dollars for Dollars program which provides 100 percent match of associates’ donations, as well as its Volunteer Time Off and Dollars for Doers community service programs. To learn more about Elevance Health Foundation, please visit www.elevancehealth.foundation or follow us @ElevanceFND on X and Elevance Health Foundation on Facebook.
