Hosted in partnership with the Institute for Addiction Science at USC, the Mental Health for US Unite for Change Forum: California is bringing our community together to talk about solutions to the most pressing issues facing our nation: mental illness and addiction. Now more than ever, it’s crucial that we unite for change.

This event, featuring a town hall with former U.S. Representative Patrick J. Kennedy and other national and local advocates, will provide the tools, training, and education you need to be an effective voice for these issues throughout the 2020 election. We’re also inviting 2020 presidential candidates to attend and discuss their plans for improving our mental health and addiction care systems.

Speakers include:

• Kate Snow, NBC News senior national correspondent, anchor of “NBC Nightly News” Sunday Edition
• Kiana Ledé, actress, singer-songwriter, and mental health advocate
• Patrick J. Kennedy, former U.S. Representative, founder of The Kennedy Forum, co-chair of Mental Health for US
• Elyn Saks, professor at USC Gould School of Law and author of "The Center Cannot Hold: My Journey Through Madness"
• Norm Ornstein, political scientist at the American Enterprise Institute
• Ricky Bluthenthal, associate dean for social justice and professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC
• Jon Sherin, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health
• Adam Leventhal, director of the Institute for Addiction Science at USC
• Steve Siegel, our emcee for the evening, professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at USC
• Robert Stohr, executive director of U.S. VETS – Patriotic Hall
• Lisa Foster, Navy veteran, Women Vets On Point
• Anthony Rodriguez, outreach coordinator and trainer at the Santa Barbara Response Network
• Sophie Pyne, national director of university relations for The Haven at College
• Ryan Hampton, organizing director of the Recovery Advocacy Project and author of “American Fix: Inside the Opioid Addiction Crisis - and How to End It”
• Lianna Treitler, USC student and author of “My Dad is an Alcoholic, What About Me?”
• Chris Miller, president and CEO at Mental Health America of Los Angeles
• Ross Szabo, wellness director at the Geffen Academy at UCLA and author of “Behind Happy Faces”

Space is limited, so sign up now! Free registration is required. No tickets will be issued at the door.

Parking is available for guests at multiple locations near the Bovard Auditorium at USC – you can find a map of the parking locations here: https://bit.ly/30iketv

For more information, visit www.mentalhealthforus.net.

Questions? Contact Alex at alex@mentalhealthforus.net.

The Mental Health for US Unite for Change Forum: California Host Committee Members

• Angels at Risk
• American Federation for Suicide Prevention – Los Angeles
• California Alliance of Child & Family Services
• County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California
• California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals
• Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services
• Directing Change
• Institute for Addiction Science at USC
• Mental Health America of Los Angeles
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), California
• National Association of Social Workers – USC Chapter
• Network for Social Work Management
• PsychArmor Institute
• Recovery Advocacy Project
• Saks Institute for Mental Health Law, Policy, and Ethics at the USC Gould School of Law
• Steinberg Institute
• The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health
• The Los Angeles County Suicide Prevention Network
• U.S. VETS

Mental Health for US would like to thank our California state event sponsors, Kaiser Permanente and Sutter Health, as well as our national Champion Sponsors, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Kaiser Permanente, The Kennedy Forum, and the National Council for Behavioral Health.