Carter Center Forum Honors Rosalyn Carter’s Legacy and Highlights Progress in Behavioral Health

First Lady Rosalyn Carter, a proud Georgia native, was a passionate advocate for mental health awareness. Her commitment inspired the creation of the Annual Rosalyn Carter Mental Health Forum, hosted each spring by the Carter Center in Atlanta. Now in its 30th year, this year’s forum will take place on May 19th and will bring together service providers, policymakers, mental health and caregiving advocates, state agency officials, and community leaders to reflect on three decades of progress and explore new ways to build a more equitable and accessible behavioral health system that supports family caregivers across Georgia.

Headlining the event, is Patrick J. Kennedy, retired politician and prominent mental health and addiction advocate. He is the second son of longtime U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy and a nephew of President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

A Democrat, he served in the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 1989, when he was the youngest Kennedy elected to office, and then represented Rhode Island’s 1st congressional district in the U.S. House from 1995 to 2011.

Kennedy is best known for championing the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, a bipartisan law requiring insurers to cover mental health and substance use disorders comparably to physical illnesses. He has openly discussed his own struggles with bipolar disorder and addiction, using his platform to reduce stigma.

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Post-Congress, he founded The Kennedy Forum, co-founded One Mind, a brain research-focused organization, and launched initiatives like DontDenyMe.org and Psych Hub. In 2017, President Trump appointed him to the Opioid and Drug Abuse Commission. He has authored books, including “A Common Struggle” (2015), and continues to advocate for mental health equity, policy reform, and brain science.

The event will also feature keynotes from award-winning filmmaker Gita Pullapilly on how to engage in deeper conversations about mental health through storytelling, and from former U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Chief Medical Officer Dr. Debra Houry, who will detail how public health and prevention are imperative to reducing stigma and fueling a successful life. To round out the summit, four-time Grammy Award-winning musician and staunch mental health advocate India Arie will speak about her journey and the importance of nurturing overall well-being. 

For more information on how to experience this keynote, visit here.

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