As World Mental Health Day approaches on October 10, URAC and The Kennedy Forum announce their new partnership focused on improving access, quality and accountability in mental health and addiction care.
This year’s World Mental Health Day theme, “Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change,” emphasizes the importance of including people with lived experience in decisions about mental health policy, services and systems. That principle aligns closely with the work of both organizations. The Kennedy Forum has spent more than a decade advancing mental health parity and access to care, while URAC brings more than 35 years of experience developing independent, evidence-based standards that help health care organizations translate commitments to quality and accountability into measurable practice.
Through the partnership, URAC and The Kennedy Forum will work to strengthen the national conversation around mental health parity and help close the gap between the promise of equal coverage and what people actually experience when they seek care. Together, the organizations will bring accreditation, data, policy and advocacy to a shared goal: making mental health care more accessible, measurable and accountable.
