98É«»¨ÌÃ’s President and CEO, Anne Bakar, is honored to be participating in the future-focused efforts of two important groups: The California Future Health Workforce Commission and the Kennedy-Satcher Center for Mental Health Equity.

Anne is privileged to work alongside other leaders in the fields of health and mental health care, as well as state and national political leaders, as the groups plan, prepare for, and promote a new era of mental health equity, decreased stigma, and a robust, capable, diverse workforce.

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California Future Health Workforce Commission 

As we move further into the twenty-first century, the field of behavioral healthcare continues to advance alongside physical healthcare, requiring new skills, knowledge, and expertise. 98É«»¨ÌÃ's President and CEO, Anne Bakar, is honored and pleased to have the opportunity to serve as a California Future Health Workforce commissioner.

The Commission was funded by several large California healthcare foundations to develop a strategic plan to build the future healthcare workforce. This plan will include a set of practical short-, medium-, and longer-term solutions that can be adopted and implemented by the state, educational institutions, employers, and other stakeholders to address current and future gaps in the health workforce.

Along with other behavioral health leaders, Anne is also serving on the Behavioral Health Subcommittee to make recommendations to the broader Commission. As part of her work on the subcommittee, Anne is advocating for improvements such as enhanced behavioral health professions education, support for education and career development for unlicensed staff, removal of licensing and technology barriers for the future workforce, advancement of integrated care models, Peer Support Specialist Certification, and behavioral healthcare pay parity.

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Kennedy-Satcher Center for Mental Health Equity

(L-R): Ayanna Smith (MSM), Shemeka Dawson (MSM), Jerry Reed (NAB), Saul Levin (NAB), Joe Pyle (NAB), Anita Everett (NAB), Sharon Rachel (MSM), Glenda Wrenn (MSM), Patrick Kennedy, Arthur Evans (NAB), David Satcher, Nathaniel Counts (NAB), Mary Giliberti (NAB), Chirlaine McCray (NAB), Vivek Murthy (NAB), Anne Bakar (NAB), Eve Byrd (NAB), Carol McDaid (NAB), LeRoy Reese (MSM), Liz Camacho (MSM), Victor Ede (MSM), Megan Douglas (MSM), Sayon Cooper (MSM)

As the national conversation about healthcare continues to evolve, we must raise our voices and advocate for equal access, coverage, and care standards for mental healthcare.

The Kennedy-Satcher Center for Mental Health Equity (KSCMHE) was jointly envisioned by the 16th U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. David Satcher, and former U.S. Representative Patrick J. Kennedy (D-RI) to further discussion of the most important challenges and opportunities for advancing best practices and policies for people living with mental health and substance use disorders. Building on their longstanding relationship and shared commitment to promoting mental health parity and health equity for people living with mental health and substance use disorders, the Center, led by Director Glenda Wrenn, is a clear voice advocating for those we serve.

Anne Bakar is honored to serve on the , working closely with other national healthcare leaders to promote mental health equity on a national scale. The most recent Board meeting was held on November 27th, at the historic Morehouse School of Medicine.