(4-24-18) The National Council for Behavior Health asked me to join five others in giving a less than a minute talk yesterday at the opening of its annual conference about the need for mental health reforms. The theme of the three day conference in Washington is “Be Heard.” I was thrilled to be the closing speaker and, unbeknownst to me, my friend and fellow advocate, D. J. Jaffe, taped my brief remarks while they were being shown on the jumbo screen.
Jaffe is speaking Wednesday (tomorrow morning) at the conference about his book, Insane Consequences: How Mental Health Industry Fails The Mentally Ill. His speech is sure to draw a huge crowd because the NATCOM18 convention is the largest gathering of mental health providers in the U.S. and he has been critical of its members.
I was sad to learn yesterday during the opening ceremony that the national council’s executive director Linda Rosenberg plans to retire next year. She has built the group into a powerful, well-funded and highly respected organization with more than a $50 million annual budget. She is one of the smartest when it comes to understanding mental health financing of services and has been a tireless advocate for Americans with behavioral health problems. Her leadership and energy will be missed after she retires late next year.
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