On June 9th, advocates, policymakers, business leaders, and philanthropists gathered for the Kennedy Forum in Boston, a daylong forum on mental health policy. Our founding executive director Kat Rosqueta spoke on how philanthropy can lift the burden of addiction at the opening plenary, “Building on Parity to Make Mental Health America’s Business: How Care for the Whole Person Can Improve Lives, Reduce Societal Costs, and Bring Greater Productivity.”
“Philanthropy can go first to the places that other people are not yet ready to go to,” Kat told the audience. When it comes to substance use, “Philanthropy can create the proof points to allow policy-makers to invest in systemic change,” she said.
“Given the scope of the problem we have to get everybody engaged in solutions,” she added. “We have to get the people on the sidelines in. And the way to get them in is to show them how.”
View the full webcast here.
See updates on our related guidance, “Lifting the Burden of Addiction: Philanthropic opportunities to address substance use disorders in the United States.”