Prevention, Promotion and Public Health

by David Shern, Ph.D., president and CEO

Thank you to everyone who attended and participated in our 2008 Annual Conference featuring the Inaugural Promotion and Prevention Summit. The theme of this year’s conference, No Health Without Mental Health, reflects our belief that mental health is integral to well-being and served as a backdrop for presentations by some of the world’s leading experts on the role of prevention and promotion in mental health and overall wellness.

We now have robust science documenting the long-term benefits of prevention interventions. The data also clearly indicates that prevention is cost-effective, returning many dollars for each dollar invested.

It is now our challenge to bring this well-founded science into our communities, families, health care settings and workplaces and ensure that it is integrated into everyday practice. Our efforts will help Americans stay healthy, rapidly return to health if they become ill, and avoid the disability that so commonly accompanies mental illnesses when not effectively recognized and treated.

Mental Health America is the only national mental health organization with a public health agenda. We believe it is our duty to advocate for solutions that will improve the overall public health.

We are at a historic moment as we approach and plan for our Centennial Celebration. As we reflect on all we have accomplished over the past century, we are also looking ahead to the progress we can make in the next 100 years. Prevention, promotion and social inclusion will be at the forefront of our agenda.

I hope you will join with us every step of the way in 2009 as we celebrate our past and forge an even brighter future.