The Mental Health Crisis Public Awareness Campaign is a collaborative effort on the parts of  the Public Engagement in Governance Looking, Listening and Learning Laboratory (PEGLLLLab) and the Frank Batten School of Leadership & Public Policy in conjunction with the producers of the Emmy Award Winning HBO Documentary, Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops. 

The Mental Health Crisis Public Awareness Campaign Summit will convene representatives from four 988 number pilot sites across the U.S. Panelists will include hospitalists, mental/behavioral health executives and practitioners and subject matter experts with lived personal and professional experiences

Panelists scheduled include:

• Kathy Leichter (co-moderator), Engagement Strategist and Impact Producer, Ernie & Joe: Crisis Cops, 2019 Emmy Award Winning HBO Film
• Gilbert Gonzales, Director of Bexar County (TX) Department of Behavioral Health (San Antonio)
• Tom von Hemert (co-moderator), Coordinator and Vice President,Thomas Jefferson Area Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) and Virginia CIT Coalition
• Robert Hurn, CEO,Georgia Pines (Southwest Georgia)
• Matt Leighninger, Head of Democracy Innovation, National Conference on Citizenship
• Jeff Richardson, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Sheppard Pratt (Baltimore)
• Melody Pannell, Director of Diversity and Community Engagement, UVA School of Medicine

This summit will provide an opportunity for participants to look back, look around and to look ahead by appreciating the complexity and taking advantage of the opportunity to address the mental health crisis -- and stress the intentionality of doing so in an equitable way.

This event is co-sponsored by the Karsh Institute of Democracy.