ProgrAm

Tuesday ThoughT Leaders continued
ThoughT Leader
saving Individuals with Mental Illness from our Criminal Justice system
Tuesday, april 9, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM Room: Palace I
Judge Steven Leifman. Practicing judge in Florida. National criminal
justice and mental health expert and champion.
Each year, more than two million arrests in the United States involve people
with serious mental illnesses, forcing untrained, unprepared criminal justice
stakeholders to navigate a scarce system of care for those individuals. Jails have
become places where a disproportionate number of people with serious mental
illnesses spend significant amounts of time — their ties to their communities severed, their needs unmet, and their
illnesses worsened. Join leading policy influencer Judge Leifman to discuss the essential elements of an effective system
of care ― one that will ultimately transform the mental health system so jail becomes the last option, not the first.
Track: Criminal Justice
ThoughT Leaders
a Public health approach to Behavioral health
Tuesday, april 9, 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM Room: Augustus I & II
PameLa J. HYde. SAMHSA Administrator. Proponent of behavioral
health as a public health issue. Health reform leader.
The whole point of public health is to have healthy people, healthy communities,
healthy lives, and prevent disease and illness. Behavioral health is a part
of health. We can’t have healthy communities without having good emotional
health, mental health, and freedom from substance abuse, says Administrator
Hyde. We have a tendency in behavioral health to focus on getting people treatments, but it’s only part of what we do.
She emphasizes that we must prevent disease first and try to get people into treatment sooner, and then we must have
the structures, partnerships, and policies in place to prevent and treat.
Track: healthcare reform
sPeCIaL evenT
Judge sTeven LeIfMan
PaMeLa J. hyde
The secret to Winning on Capitol hill (hint: It’s you)
Tuesday, april 9, 2:00 – 3:00 PM Room: Emperors II
Do you know the secret to public policy success? It’s YOU. Citizen advocacy is the best
tool we have in protecting and strengthening the behavioral health safety net. Learn
three easy, concrete steps you can take today to win your legislators’ support for the
Excellence in Mental Health Act and Mental Health First Aid Act.
www.TheNationalCouncil.org/Conference www.facebook.com/TheNationalCouncil @nationalcouncil; #natcon2013 71
Tuesday APRIL 9