Washington, D.C. (April 6, 2016)-- Business magnate Sir Richard Branson will be interviewed as part of The Atlantic’s “Summit on Mental Health & Addiction,” on Tuesday, April 12 at noon EST. Branson, a leader of the Global Commission on Drug Policy and outspoken advocate for the decriminalization of drug use and possession, will close out the morning event with a one-on-one conversation with The Atlantic's Steve Clemons, where he will discuss his efforts to shift global and national drug policies.
The half-day Summit will also explore mental illness and addiction through a variety of lenses: veterans and suicide; deinstitutionalization of mental illness; the rise of heroin and opioid abuse; how America copes with pain; and the federal government’s role when it comes to addressing mental health challenges, from funding treatment to gun issues. A full agenda, including speakers and topics, is below.
Media interested in attending should contact The Atlantic’s Sydney Simon (ssimon@theatlantic.com).
The National Council for Behavioral Health is a Founding Level underwriter of The Atlantic’s Summit on Mental Health & Addiction.
####
EVENT DETAILS:
WHAT: The Atlantic’s Summit on Mental Health & Addiction
WHEN: Tuesday, April 12; 9AM-12:45PM EST
WHERE: 1777 F Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20006
LIVESTREAM & SOCIAL MEDIA: theatlantic.com/mentalh
PROGRAM AGENDA:
(**All timing and speakers subject to change; timing is denoted in EST**)
9:00 AM: Introduction & Welcome
9:10 AM: Taking Action: Mental Health Reform Act of 2016
- Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
- Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT)
- With Steve Clemons, Washington Editor at Large, The Atlantic
9:40 AM: In Search of The Answer
- Gabrielle Glaser, Author, Her Best-Kept Secret
- Scott Stossel, Editor, The Atlantic / Author, My Age of Anxiety: Fear, Hope, Dread, and the Search for Peace of Mind
10:00 AM: Cook County Jail: America's Largest Mental-Health Facility
- Nneka Jones Tapia*, Executive Director, Cook County (Illinois) Department of Corrections (*via Skype)
- With Steve Clemons, Washington Editor at Large, The Atlantic
10:15 AM: Confronting a Crisis: Veterans & Suicide
- Caitlin Thompson, Deputy Director, Suicide Prevention, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- With Ross Andersen, Senior Editor, The Atlantic
10:50 AM: Treating Pain
- Patrice Harris, Board of Trustees Chair-elect, American Medical Association / Chair, Taskforce on Opioid Addiction
- David Kessler, Author, Capture / Former Administrator, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- With Ross Andersen, Senior Editor, The Atlantic
11:15 AM: The Opioid Epidemic
- Secretary Tom Vilsack, U.S. Department of Agriculture / Chair, White House Taskforce on Opioid Addiction
- With Scott Stossel, Editor, The Atlantic
11:40 AM: Heroin: From San Francisco to Cape Cod
- Tracey Helton Mitchell, Author, The Big Fix
- Steven Okazaki, Director, Heroin: Cape Cod, USA
- With Olga Khazan, Staff Writer, The Atlantic
12:10 PM: Atlantic Exchange: The War on Drugs
- Sir Richard Branson, Chairman, Virgin
- With Steve Clemons, Washington Editor at Large, The Atlantic
12:45 PM: Programming Concludes
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to letters@theatlantic.com.