Advocacy Groups Merge to Support Implementation of Healthcare Reform

Two closely aligned groups advocating for addiction and mental-health programs in national healthcare reform have agreed to a merger.

The mental-health field’s Whole Health Campaign and the addiction community’s Coalition for Whole Health, which both successfully argued for inclusion of behavioral-healthcare benefits in the healthcare-reform bill passed last year, will join forces under the banner of the Coalition for Whole Health. 

The merger was agreed at a joint meeting of the two groups on June 9, according to Ron Manderscheid, Ph.D., executive director of the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors.

The united Coalition for Whole Health will “vigorously pursue implementation of national health reform” at the national, state, county, and local levels, said Manderscheid, who will lead the group jointly with Paul Samuels of the Legal Action Center.

“Everyone present agreed that a tremendous amount of work lies ahead, but that organization from both fields are fully energized to move ahead quickly,” said Manderscheid.