National Federation of Families Legislative and Advocacy Page

12/19/2025

National Council for Mental Wellbeing released an HR1 Implementation Roadmap that supports mental health stakeholders in understanding how changes to Medicaid will affect people with behavioral health challenges and their families.

12/19/2025

A Facilitator Manual is now available to accompany University of Massachusetts' Transitions ARC's Fostering Disability Justice Leadership and Civic Engagement among Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions project. The manual provides guidance for implementing the civic advocacy workshop series that was developed as part of this project, including session outlines and activities that support young adults with developing the skills and knowledge that enable them to advocate for issues of importance to them.

The Facilitator Manual accompanies the Fostering Disability Justice Leadership and Civic Engagement among Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions project. The manual provides guidance for implementing the civic advocacy workshop series that was developed as part of this project, including...

12/11/2025

KFF has a database where they are tracking the mental health substance use policy actions of the current administration. Keep up to date here:

A new KFF tracker highlights key federal policy actions during President Trump’s second term that concern issues related to mental health and substance use. The second Trump administration has emphasized law-and-order strategies and scaled back several mental health and substance use-related servi...

12/01/2025

Join First Focus on Children's webinar Student Voices, Policy Action: Addressing the Youth Mental Health Crisis on December 4th at 3 p.m. ET.

Join us for a powerful discussion on how student advocates are leading efforts to tackle the youth mental health crisis and influence policy change. 

11/18/2025

Join the National Empowerment Center tomorrow for a webinar "So You Want to Write a Bill? Training Youth Leaders in Legislative Advocacy!"

This webinar will equip youth leaders and the professionals who support them with practical skills to transform lived experiences into effective legislation. By exploring key case studies, participants will learn how to platform personal stories, draft compelling policy proposals, and navigate the l...

11/14/2025

: We relaunched our , a comprehensive platform for Medicaid enrollment, funding and polling data. Visit the Dashboard to get the latest information: http://data.modernmedicaid.org/

10/29/2025

National Council for Mental Wellbeing just released this webinar recording Denied But Not Defeated: Turning Insurance Battles Into Advocacy. Learn how to advocate for your loved one and people with mental health and substance use challenges in general when insurance companies deny claims.

Accessing quality mental health care shouldn’t take a legal fight — but for Joe Feldman, it did. When his child was denied coverage for needed treatment, he ...

10/21/2025

Advocate for effective and appropriate use of the opioid settlement funds at a community level using Partnership to End Addiction's guide linked below and at the individual level using this tip sheet: https://cdn-01.drugfree.org/web/prod/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/16134159/Advocating-for-using-OSF-for-prevention.pdf?_gl=1*14bkqyd*_gcl_au*NTgyNjgzOTkuMTc1Mzk3MDU5OA..*_ga*NDgxNDA1NjUyLjE3NDYxMjc1NDY.*_ga_ECZGQ0GWSZ*czE3NjA3MjIwMTUkbzE3NiRnMSR0MTc2MDcyMjE1OCRqNjAkbDAkaDA.&utm_campaign=Action%20Center&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--yWXWKOQtt7CugC_wDqau6Czcehqe5sLBZ7w25NI-LEuRm7DVjXG7AlrpnNbFvEhCws2L535IFEctxuMHkZOfIuWaPWQ&_hsmi=386165044&utm_content=386165044&utm_source=hs_email

Communities across the country have a unique opportunity to use opioid settlement funds to respond to today’s opioid epidemic and prevent future addiction crises.

To help guide critical investment decisions, Partnership to End Addiction has released a new resource: ➡️Guidance for Investing the Opioid Settlement Funds in Primary Prevention

The guide explains how the opioid settlement funds can be used for effective substance use prevention by breaking down the research on prevention, identifying how communities can implement effective prevention strategies and highlighting real-world examples of ways the funds are already being used for primary prevention to help communities make smart, lasting investments in prevention.

Learn more by accessing the guide: https://drugfree.org/reports/guidance-for-investing-the-opioid-settlement-funds-in-primary-prevention/

10/10/2025

Happy World Mental Health Day!

See National Council for Mental Wellbeing's 10 Ways to Take Action for Mental Wellbeing infographic at the link below!

10/08/2025

Via the below link, you'll be able to customize and send messages to Congress urging them to support critical bills like the PEER Support Act, the Due Process Continuity of Care Act, and the Reentry Act. You'll also have a chance to urge Congress to support key mental health and substance use programs in final FY26 Appropriations.

Want to go the extra mile? You can also call your Representatives and Senators right from National Council for Mental Wellbeing's platform... their call script will pop up to help you deliver a great message about each bill.

National Council for Mental Wellbeing

10/03/2025

Join Mental Health America's Young Leaders Council members as they share their personal journeys from awareness to action in mental health advocacy. In this session, you’ll discover how these young advocates got started, how mentors supported them along the way, and how they’re using research, storytelling, and peer support to create meaningful change in their communities.

Join Mental Health America’s Young Leaders Council members as they share their personal journeys from awareness to action in mental health advocacy. In this session, you’ll discover how these young advocates got started, how mentors supported them along the way, and how they’re using research,...

10/03/2025

⚖️ On this day, we remember why parity in mental health care matters.
The Mental Health Parity & Addiction Equity Act makes it illegal to offer lesser care for mental health or addiction than for physical health—yet there’s still work to do.

As Mental Illness Awareness Week begins, let’s push for equal care, equal access, and equal respect.

💬 Do you think your country or region treats mental health and physical health equally? What changes have you seen or want to see? Comment below.