Towards Mental Wellness: Advocating for Behavioral Health
As an interdisciplinary association working at the intersection of human rights, social justice and behavioral health, the Global Alliance is uniquely positioned to advocate for centering mental health within and across systems and settings (see https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000618). Behavioral health policy, practice and research should be considered through an interdisciplinary and rights-based lens. Central to our mission is a focus on prevention and promotion of population health and well-being, particularly for under-resourced communities.
As part of our efforts to strengthen behavioral health systems and community settings, we collaborate with like-minded organizations, such as the Mental Health Liaison Group (MHLG), to respond and recommend strategies for strengthening existing systems and improving outcomes for individuals, families and their communities. Nationally, our key advocacy efforts this year have focused on advancing federal policies to achieve these goals.
Our activities have included:
- Protecting Medicaid. We’ve urged the House of Representative to protect individuals and families living with behavioral health conditions by rejecting any changes to Medicaid. We’ve also supported the bipartisan suicide prevention efforts.
- Addressing youth mental health issues. Of concern to us was the elimination of LGBTQ+ youth specialized services within the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. We also expressed concern about changes to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). We’ve supported investments in early childhood education and efforts to strengthen services for homeless children and youth.
- Supporting efforts to strengthen behavioral health services for under-represented populations and communities. We’ve supported strengthening services for Latino individuals and strengthening mental wellness and resilience in communities.
- Strengthening the behavioral health workforce. We’ve been concerned about the severe shortages of school-based mental health professionals and have encouraged support for health professionals in higher education. We’ve worked to protect healthcare by ensuring that the vital research conducted by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health be adequately funded so that grantees can further shape the future of healthcare.
Internationally, the Global Alliance has concentrated on:
- Engaging and Collaborating with like-minded organizations as a newly appointed member of the WHO Civil Society Commission. We also are engaged with the Civil Society Engagement Mechanism (CSEM), UHC2030, United Nations NGO Major Group, and United for Global Mental Health (Global Mental Health Action Network).
- Recommending the need to center mental health within and across all systems and settings as a fundamental human right for all as well as the importance of understanding mental health along the continuum from promotion and prevention to recovery.
We have accomplished this work by participating in international meetings throughout the year and contributing to a position paper and executive summary developed by civil society and the NGO Major Groups in advance of the High Level Political Forum last July.
Up Next:
During the current United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), we are participating in the UN High-Level Meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), the Promotion of Mental Health and Well-being and other side events. During this turbulent and unsettled time, stakeholders and country representatives are discussing mental health and well-being as important to the success of the global community. The international platform is more important than ever. The Global Alliance is proud to be present as a representative of civil society where we are communicating key concepts urgently needed by global decision makers.