URAC and The Kennedy Forum Partner to Advance Mental Health Care Access, Quality and Accountability

Partnership launches around World Mental Health Day with a shared commitment to making mental health care more equitable and accountable

WASHINGTON, Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As organizations around the world mark World Mental Health Day, URAC and The Kennedy Forum today announced a new partnership to advance mental health care access, quality and accountability across the United States.

This year's World Mental Health Day theme, "Lived experiences heard: real voices, real change," centers the perspectives of people with lived experience in shaping mental health policy, services and systems. The World Health Organization is calling for those voices to be meaningfully included in the decisions that affect how mental health care is designed, delivered and improved.

That principle is central to the work of both organizations. The Kennedy Forum has spent more than a decade ensuring mental health is treated as essential health, pursuing a bold 90-90-90 goal: 90% of Americans are screened for mental health and addiction, 90% of those who need it receive quality treatment, and 90% achieve recovery. URAC brings more than 35 years of experience developing independent, evidence-based standards that help health care organizations turn commitments to quality and accountability into measurable practices.

Together, URAC and The Kennedy Forum will work to strengthen the national conversation around mental health parity and help close the gap between the promise of equal coverage and people's actual experience accessing care.

"Mental health is health, and parity has to mean more than a benefit document," said Shawn Griffin, MD, President and CEO of URAC. "People need timely access to mental health and addiction care. The Kennedy Forum has been a powerful voice for making that a reality. By bringing its advocacy and policy expertise together with URAC's focus on quality and accountability, we can help turn the promise of parity into better access to care."

Mental health parity requires health plans and insurers to treat mental health and addiction benefits comparably to medical and surgical care. URAC supports that work through its Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Parity Accreditation and ParityManager®, which help organizations strengthen and manage their parity compliance efforts.

The partnership comes as new data continue to show significant differences between access to mental health and addiction care and access to physical health services. The Kennedy Forum's Mental Health Parity Index, launched in 2026 with Third Horizon, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Foundation and Ballmer Group, uses insurer data to examine differences in network access and reimbursement. Its initial findings identified potential network-access disparities in 43 states and in seven out of 10 counties examined.

"We must continually fight to increase access to health care for everyone, and that care must include equal coverage for mental health and addiction treatment," said Patrick J. Kennedy, co-author of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and co-founder of The Kennedy Forum. "This partnership strengthens the foundations of our system as we leverage data to improve the outcomes and overall well-being of people across the country."

Through the partnership, URAC and The Kennedy Forum will bring together accreditation, data, policy and advocacy around a shared goal: making mental health care more accessible, measurable and accountable, and ensuring that mental health receives the same attention and commitment as physical health.

About URAC

For 35 years, URAC has served as the nation's most complete independent health care accreditation organization, advancing quality, accountability and trust across the health care system. URAC develops rigorous, evidence-based accreditation programs for health plans, pharmacies, telehealth organizations, AI, workforce mental health and other areas of care. Its work in mental health includes the nation's only accreditation program dedicated specifically to mental health and substance use disorder parity, helping organizations strengthen compliance and support more equitable access to care. URAC accreditation signals a commitment to continuous improvement and high standards for the people and communities health care organizations serve.

About The Kennedy Forum

The Kennedy Forum envisions a future where mental health and addiction are treated as essential health issues — with 90% of Americans screened, 90% receiving treatment, and 90% achieving recovery. To reach 90-90-90, The Kennedy Forum engineers structural change, aligning stakeholders around consequential reform. Co-founded by former Congressman Patrick J. Kennedy, who co-authored the bipartisan Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, and his wife, Amy L. Kennedy, the nonprofit plays a distinct role as a catalyst in the field.

Media Contact 
Laura A. Wood 
Director, Marketing, Communications and Workplace Mental Health 
202-326-3968 
[email protected] 

SOURCE URAC