Mental health is health.
The Kennedy-Satcher Center for Mental Health Equity works to improve access to quality behavioral health care through research, policy, and bringing together the people who shape mental health systems.
Two leaders, one shared commitment.
The Kennedy-Satcher Center for Mental Health Equity was jointly envisioned by Dr. David Satcher, the 16th U.S. Surgeon General, and former U.S. Representative Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI). Building on a longstanding relationship and a shared commitment to mental health parity for people living with mental health and substance use disorders, the Center was made possible through an endowment from The Kennedy Forum, matched by Morehouse School of Medicine’s endowment from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.
The Center launched on February 3, 2015, at the First Annual State of the Union in Mental Health and Addiction at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Today it is one of the centers of the Satcher Institute for Health Equity, carrying the founders’ commitment forward through research, policy, and partnership.
Our Vision
To ensure that all people have access to quality behavioral health care and the opportunity to achieve optimal health outcomes.
Founded by Dr. David Satcher and Patrick J. Kennedy
Launched at the First Annual State of the Union in Mental Health and Addiction
Impact areas guiding the Center’s work
Where we focus.
Systems of Care
We study local, regional, and national responses to behavioral health needs to find and promote lasting solutions that make care easier to reach.
Mental Health Parity
Building on Patrick J. Kennedy’s authorship of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, we track where coverage for mental health and substance use care still falls short of physical health coverage across the United States.
Community-Centered Care
We develop best practices and recommendations that help health systems serve communities that have too often been overlooked by behavioral health care.
Research
Our research advances science that improves how local, state, and national health systems deliver behavioral health care, and supports communities in reaching their best health.
Policy
We translate research into policy briefs, white papers, and reports for policymakers, and contribute to legislation and regulation through public comment and work with federal and state leaders.
Convening Leadership
We bring together experts, officials, frontline providers, and people with lived experience, giving room to voices that are often missing from conversations about mental health systems.
Selected Convenings
988 Leadership Summit
A national leadership summit on crisis response as the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline launched.
Behavioral Health and the Justice System
A webinar series on trauma-informed approaches for people involved with the justice system.
The Kennedy Forum · National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) · American Psychological Association
KSCMHE is one of the centers of the Satcher Institute for Health Equity at Morehouse School of Medicine, alongside the Satcher Health Leadership Institute and the David Satcher Global Health Equity Institute.
Help move mental health care forward.
Whether you’re a funder, a partner organization, or a researcher, we’d like to hear from you.