CMH continues to be addressed at The White House

Yesterday, President Obama and Vice President Biden hosted a National Conference on Mental Health as part of efforts to increase the conversation about mental health awareness. The Federation's Executive Director, Sandra Spencer, has been a huge part of providing information that the President and Vice President are using to bring attention to the need for reform. Sandra reports excitement from the Presidents remarks at the Conference because what he said meant that he had been listening to the information that the FFCMH had been supplying to the appointed task force.
Sandra states that she was pleased to hear the President talk about parents who are shamed and, therefore, don't always seek help for their children. He also said "we whisper about mental health" but speak openly about any other health related condition. President Obama even made a comment that let us know he even knew about our NCMHAW theme, stating that "we need to bring mental health out of the shadows."
I get very energized about the work we are doing to share information about children's mental health when I hear great things like this. The Federation's advocacy work is an important aspect of mental health in general because of the designated 'family' representation. And it all comes down to that fact that we, Federation members, get it. We know how it feels, and we know what families go through. It's nice to have someone by your side that can understand where you have been and where you might be going. As the work continues to bring more attention to children's mental health and reducing stigma, I hope that there are many more opportunities to impress information within our culture from our leadership down to our families.
The information and some text included in this post is a small recap of the information included in the FFCMH's newsletter Reclaiming Children. To read more about this event, visit the following site to see more: