APA Member Brings Message to Kennedy

APA Member Timothy Mueller, M.D. (right), of Providence, R.I., recently met with Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I) on Capitol Hill to discuss various bills that Kennedy is supporting on behalf of people with mental illness: Kennedy is the lead Democratic sponsor of the House version of the Sen. Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act of 2003 and is working to increase the federal budget for the National Institute of Mental Health. Kennedy also recently reintroduced, along with Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), the Positive Aging Act, which AAGP members helped to draft. The bill would provide federal funding mechanisms to promote collaborative, integrated mental health initiatives for seniors within the primary care setting. Mueller’s visit is part of an ongoing program at APA—through its political action committee, APAPAC—in which APA members educate federal and state legislators and policymakers about mental health issues.