Bismarck

North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong hosted the first Health Beyond Healthcare initiative workshop in Bismarck, North Dakota. 

It featured a conversation between Governor Armstrong and WGA Executive Director Jack Waldorf, as well as discussions on youth mental health with North Dakota First Lady Kjersti Armstrong and Lieutenant Governor Michelle Strinden. Additional panels examined community-based care, criminal justice deflection and diversion, behavioral health integration, the digital transformation of the mental health system, and policy pathways for peer support. 

Jackson Hole

Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon hosted the second Health Beyond Healthcare workshop in Jackson, Wyoming.  

In addition to making opening remarks at the workshop, Governor Gordon also joined WGA Executive Director Jack Waldorf and Ortus Foundation founder Sabrina Carpenter for a discussion about rising behavioral health needs in the West and how we can work together to leverage federal resources, develop new funding streams, and implement effective, bipartisan policy that truly moves the needle on health outcomes across western communities.

The workshop also convened experts from across the country for panel discussions on the mental health workforce, improving mental health for rural western workers, the effects of the outdoors on mental health, suicide prevention, and moral trauma. 

Santa Fe

New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham will host the third Health Beyond Healthcare initiative workshop in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on November 16-17. 

This workshop, will explore strategies to expand coverage and affordability of mental health services and examine efforts to enforce and modernize mental health parity.  Policymakers and experts will participate in discussions about federal insurance programs, maternal mental health, disaster response, access to treatment during incarceration and reentry, and more.