Patrick Kennedy: Collab with MAHA is essential to address mental health crisis

Engaging with his cousin Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on mental health policy has gotten former Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI) "huge" blowback from fellow Democrats.

Earlier this month, Patrick Kennedy announced the launch of a bipartisan coalition focused on mental health and addiction, Action for Progress. RFK Jr., the nation's health secretary, was in attendance, as was Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz, M.D. and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D.

Speaking Friday in Orlando, Florida, at the Lake Nona Impact Forum, Patrick Kennedy acknowledged that he campaigned hard for Democrats during the last presidential election. He made monetary contributions in the six figures, he said. But the reality is, collaboration is the only effective path forward.

"We lost. We’ve got three more years of this administration," Patrick Kennedy said.

The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) coalition is keen on addressing the burden of chronic disease, but isn’t focused enough on mental health, Patrick Kennedy said. He believes that, with his personal experience and credibility, he can steer the administration's attention toward mental health.

“You can’t tackle any of these chronic illnesses if mental health is not part of this,” he said.

Patrick Kennedy was the lead sponsor of the 2008 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act. The Trump administration scrapped an effort to enforce the rule last year. In 2013, he co-founded the Kennedy Forum, a nonprofit that advocates for evidence-based practices in mental health and addiction.

Right now, Patrick Kennedy is advocating for more federal dollars to be devoted to addressing the country’s mental health crisis. There's a clear ROI incentive to do so. Mental health is still seen as a cost-benefit only in the context of healthcare, he said—investing in mental health saves on other health-related costs.

But the real savings are much broader than that, per the former senator, from retention of employees to reductions in chronic absenteeism and criminal justice involvement. Earlier this month, Health and Human Services announced a $100 million investment in improving homelessness and addiction.

Referencing his own struggles with addiction, Patrick Kennedy also spoke passionately about the importance of addressing the opioid crisis. Last year, the FDA put out guidance on advancing nonopioid treatment options for chronic pain. The effort is akin to Operation Warp Speed for COVID-19 vaccines, Patrick Kennedy said. And that is the sort of urgency the issue calls for.

“Pain is a major public health crisis in this country, and yet so many people still get addicted because of opioids,” Patrick Kennedy said.

Additionally, Patrick Kennedy acknowledged the importance of engaging with federally qualified health centers. These clinics treat the sickest and most at-risk populations at the lowest cost. They also provide wraparound services, which are aligned with Oz’s goal of addressing the total cost of care, Patrick Kennedy said. To that end, he requested that RFK Jr. attend a recent policy event focused on community health centers, which the secretary did.

During the session, Patrick Kennedy also briefly touched on gambling and gaming, and the risk they carry for addiction.

“We are spreading all this addiction around this country at a time when we don’t have enough providers to begin with—what are we thinking as a nation?” he asked.