A pioneer in mental health policy and advocacy, the Honorable Patrick J. Kennedy served as Representative for Rhode Island’s First Congressional District for 16 years, championing causes essential to the well-being of all Americans. During his time on Capitol Hill, Mr. Kennedy was the author and chief sponsor of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, groundbreaking legislation that guaranteed, for the first time in history, equal access to mental health and addiction services. Kennedy was the nation’s leading political voice on mental illness, addiction, and other brain diseases. Calling it the “civil rights issue of our time,” Mr. Kennedy successfully oversaw the bill’s passage, and in 2008, it was signed into law by President George W. Bush.

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