Raising Awareness of Mental Wellbeing
In May, we kicked off a new era in our organization’s 53-year history by changing our name to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. Our new name more aptly reflects the reason our members do the work they do, helps us reach more people in new ways, and further articulates our impact and aspirations. Together with our members, we are committed to creating communities that support mental wellbeing, allowing everyone to thrive and reach their full potential.
Contributing to Community Impact
In October, we announced our role as the new steward of Cities Thrive, a national non-partisan coalition of 220+ cities and counties that is advancing mental health and substance use treatment in their localities. Guided by the founding vision of former New York City First Lady Chirlane McCray and the leadership of co-chairs Mayor Hillary Schieve and Mayor Michael B. Hancock, Cities Thrive aims to drive mental health reform on a local and national level while broadening awareness nationwide.
Supporting Underserved Communities
To help members support historically underserved populations, we expanded our Interest Group member benefit to include two new groups: Rural Health and Substance Use. We also conducted national surveys highlighting the impact of COVID-19 on youth and minority mental health; led a public safety education and training framework to prevent overdose among Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) communities; and helped members advance interventions for LGBTQ+ populations.
Expanding Our Virtual Learning Portfolio
To meet people where they are during these tough times, we brought NatCon21 online, educating thousands of health care professionals in the process. We also grew our virtual learning portfolio by broadcasting new “Wellbeing Wednesdays” and “National Council Conversations” episodes; hosting dozens of webinars on health care developments and social trends; and contributing to podcasts in the health care space, among other thought leadership opportunities.
Sharing New Tools and Resources
We took our thought leadership to another level this year by distributing new tools, resources and publications to keep our members and the field informed. We created and shared toolkits, change packages, podcasts, webinars and guidelines on timely topics, such as crisis systems, recovery housing, team-based care, medication non-adherence, fentanyl guidance, trauma screening, telehealth, adolescent health and youth substance use prevention, among others.