Meadows Events – Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute 2021 Annual Report

2021

events

Using virtual opportunities to broaden our community

The Meadows Institute participated in most events virtually and, in some cases, our virtual stage expanded to include people who could not have otherwise attended in person.

From fresh installments of annual traditions dating back years to new events that we hope will become traditions, our events brought together thought leaders, elected officials, and care providers to advance our common cause to improve mental health care for everyone.

Watch this featured breakout session.

Engage & Excel ^'21

I am new to the industry and I greatly enjoyed learning and the time spent! It was very worthwhile. Fabulous work during ever-changing conditions! Look forward to in person networking next year. – 2021 E&E Attendees

The Sixth Annual Engage & Excel Conference was our largest yet, with 425 participants from 24 states attending a day and a half of keynotes, breakout sessions, and a ceremony honoring a major Texas political leader with a lifetime award for advancing mental health care.

Shortly after the gavel fell on her last legislative session, retiring Texas Senator Jane Nelson was presented with the first-ever Tom Luce Award for Mental Health Policy Transformation in recognition of her profound contributions to helping people across Texas—particularly children—access quality mental health care. As a longtime champion of improving behavioral health systems, Senator Nelson was a key partner in advancing many policies the Meadows Institute has supported since its creation.

Andy Keller kicked off the conference by discussing our nation’s ability to rise to the occasion and fight a virus unknown to the world two years ago, and how that speaks to our ability to address mental illness more aggressively in the years ahead.

Keller later hosted a conversation with Dr. Thomas Insel, who explored the concepts behind his new book, Healing: Our Path from Mental Illness to Mental Health. Board member Dr. Altha Stewart appeared with Senior Fellow Dr. Quianta Moore, St. David’s Foundation President Dr. Ed Burger, Dr. D.J. Ida, and Fred Sandoval, MPA, on a panel exploring “The Repercussions of Racism on Mental Health.” And Texas Senator Dawn Buckingham and State Representative Greg Bonnen discussed the accomplishments and challenges of the 87th Legislature.

This is just a small sample of the panels and breakout sessions attendees enjoyed.

425

Virtual Attendees

188

Organizations Represented

E&E participants comprise health systems, community organizations, law enforcement, medical experts and researchers, national leaders, philanthropy, and federal, state, and local governments.

49

Speakers

Including Mike Thompson, Maria Collins, Madhukar Trivedi, MD, Quianta Moore, MD, Tom Insel, MD, and Roshni Koli, MD + many more.

24

States Represented

The Meadows Institute’s commitment to independent, nonpartisan, data-driven, and trusted policy leadership brings together a growing national and international audience.

15

Unique Sessions Offered

Session topics equip participants to put groundbreaking mental health policy into practice. By joining national experts, innovative policymakers, and trailblazing community leaders, attendees elevate the impact of their work.

John Kasich

Former Ohio Governor

Andy Keller, PhD

President and CEO, Meadows
Mental Health Policy Institute

Facebook Live with Ohio Governor
John Kasich

Initially launched in late 2020, former Ohio Governor John Kasich and Andy Keller have been holding a series of discussions on Facebook Live, exploring issues related to mental health both in Texas and across the nation. The two held six conversations throughout 2021, touching on timely topics like collaborative care, COVID fatigue, the mental health of athletics, and many more, reaching thousands of viewers throughout the year. In December, they welcomed their first guest to the discussion, Daniel H. Gillison, Jr., the CEO of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The trio explored what the holidays mean for people with mental health issues, and the upcoming national rollout of 9-8-8, which will connect people with suicide prevention and mental health crisis counselors by dialing three numbers. Over the course of their discussions, Kasich and Keller developed a rapport and rhythm that strikes a unique balance between in-depth analysis of important issues and easy-to-understand explanations of the challenges and solutions we face in addressing them. The conversations continue into 2022.

Virtual Legislative Briefings

Bracketed by major changes to the economic landscape brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and its federal response, the 87th Legislature presented more to analyze than it typically does.

At the Meadows Institute, we continued our tradition of providing board members and stakeholders with an inside view of all that was accomplished legislatively to improve mental health in 2021.

Held virtually, each of our five Legislative Briefings focused on specific regions hosted by a variety of experts and luminaries from across the state – including former Speaker of the House Joe Straus, Evan Smith and Ross Ramsey of the Texas Tribune, and Meadows Institute Board Member Nadine Craddick. The events cut through the sometimes-murky information to detail precisely what the legislative outcomes mean for local communities and mental health care across the state.

These briefings are crucial to our ongoing efforts to ensure stakeholders, philanthropists, and other key partners are up to date on significant legislative successes and how they will directly improve lives.