Catalyst for
CHANGE
2022 ANNUAL REPORT
Following a year of steady progress and heartbreaking tragedy, this annual report spotlights how our organization is changing the way people think about and receive mental health care. In 2022, the Meadows Institute sought to build on the significant advancements and investments made in Texas and the United States, guiding critical local, state, and national policy discussions, and responding to the needs of a community that was shattered by an unthinkable act of violence.
Making The Change
Responding to an
Unimaginable Tragedy
The shooting at Robb Elementary left the residents of Uvalde shattered, with local leaders working to support an entire community of traumatized children and grieving families. We all faced one haunting question that demanded an answer: What more can we do to stop this from ever happening again?
Year in Review
Throughout 2022, the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute was engaged across Texas, in the nation’s capital, and around the world in efforts to improve mental health care for everyone.
January
More than two years after it was conceived, the Texas Law Enforcement Peer Network was actively in operation, providing law enforcement officers in Texas with immediate access to a peer for support with stress, trauma, or crisis.
February
The Institute’s Hani Talebi, John Snook, and B.J. Wagner briefed U.S. Senate Finance Committee staff on the Institute’s recommendations to reform the mental health system.
John Snook and B.J. Wagner led one of a series of national webinars focused on the new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline; more than 1,500 criminal justice and mental professionals attended.
U.S. Senator John Cornyn took a tour of the RIGHT Care program in Dallas and touted the growth of Multi-Disciplinary Response Teams.
March
Curated by the Institute, Global Health Security Innovation Week was a virtual conference held alongside Austin’s South by Southwest. Andy Keller and Harris Eyre participated in the four-day event, which convened 30+ countries and discussed the most pressing challenges in predicting, preventing, and responding to global health security threats for pandemic preparedness and recovery.
Andy Keller spoke before the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance as one of four nationally recognized experts on ensuring parity and care integration when and where Americans need it.
April
Children’s Health announced a new initiative developed with the Institute that enables more pediatric patients to get mental health care in a primary care setting and is built around a groundbreaking clinic and training facility in Dallas.
Crystal Charity Ball announced a gift of over $2 million to the Institute for the “Action Before Crisis” initiative and a commitment to further fundraising in future years.
The Meadows Institute hosted the North American launch of Lancet-World Psychiatric Commission’s “Time for United Action on Depression,” an effort to fight depression by changing society holistically, improving care and prevention, filling knowledge gaps, and increasing awareness of the global burden of depression.
May
May 24: 19 students and 2 teachers were killed at Robb Elementary in Uvalde. Read about Meadows recovery response.
The Institute announced a pilot project with Baylor Scott and White (BSW) and the Samaritan Counseling Center to identify veterans and their families seeking primary care services at BSW clinics, screen them for mental health issues, and connect them to appropriate mental health and supportive services in Central Texas.
Partnering with the Institute, the Amarillo Area Foundation announced a $475,000 initiative to promote mental health screening, detection, and real-time access to care in the Panhandle.
Andy Keller participated in the Milken Institute’s invitation-only Global Conference, which brought together health, finance, and government leaders from around the world to examine policies and investments to advance research, public health, and delivery of care.
Galveston announced the creation of a Multi-Disciplinary Response Team for mental health emergencies based on models in Dallas, Abilene, and Bexar County.
HHSC announced it will be adding Coordinated Specialty Care as an available option for children and youth receiving Medicaid-managed care. This represented a big step forward for the many children and young people who can benefit from this type of treatment.
June
Collaborative Care officially became reimbursable in the Texas Medicaid system.
Trauma and Grief (TAG) Center leaders trained law enforcement officers in Galena Park ISD on the Handle With Care program, which helps officers work with schools to identify children and young people in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic event and provide early intervention.
July
The Paso del Norte Center hosted Consortium 2.0 – Cultivating Collaboration, a general meeting of the El Paso Behavioral Health Consortium.
The Meadows Institute and partners were named recipients of two of the first three grants awarded by The Goodness Web Foundation, which committed $5.3 million to address the youth mental health crisis.
NPR featured the TAG Center’s Julie Kaplow in a story about how grief and trauma affect students and what schools are doing to help them recover in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
August
The Hackett Center for Mental Health, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Association for Mental Health, convened in Austin to host the 5th Children’s Mental Health Summit, bringing together experts from both states to discuss issues related to children’s mental health.
Marcy Melvin, Deputy Director of The Hackett Center for Mental Health, provided invited testimony to the House Committee on Juvenile Justice & Family Issues, defining Multi-Systemic Therapy and outlining its crucial importance in helping children and young people in crisis.
September
The Meadows Institute and the Caruth Police Institute began working with the Texas State University Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center to expand the top shooter response training in the nation.
The Meadows Institute was chosen to be lead facilitator and technical assistance provider for the first-of-a-kind, statewide Trellis Foundation Postsecondary Mental Health & Wellbeing Learning Community, building on support by The Steve Fund, The Jed Foundation, and Active Minds.
The Institute’s University Health Consultation Assessment: Detention and Civil Behavioral Health Phase 1 report was completed and delivered to University Health in San Antonio.
Andy Keller and former Ohio Governor John Kasich appeared on a panel at the Texas Tribune Festival in downtown Austin, discussing mental health in the state.
October
The Neuro, Digital & A.I. Innovation Summit was held in Lisbon, Portugal, with Andy Keller, along with Senior Fellows Harris Eyre and Solome Tibebu, on hand to spread the word about how Texas has become an innovation leader in mental health care.
Our 7th Annual Engage & Excel Conference in Plano brought together experts from across the state and country to discuss the legislative outlook, community engagement strategies, and how to improve grief and trauma competence in services following the Uvalde tragedy.
November
The Meadows Institute sponsored The Future of Rural Texas, a two-day symposium in Lubbock examining both the hard realities facing rural Texans and the solutions that are working.
The Institute presented the findings and recommendations from the Hays County mental health needs assessment to the Hays County Commissioners Court.
Governor Greg Abbott selected Stephanie Muth, Senior Fellow for Health Care Strategy at the Meadows Institute, to lead the Department of Family and Protective Services as Commissioner.
December
The TAG Center’s Julie Kaplow was featured in a story on All Things Considered, NPR’s flagship national news program, entitled “Grief and trauma training is unexpectedly healing for school district staff in Texas.”
The Institute partnered with Going Digital: Behavioral Health Tech for a grant from The Commonwealth Fund to identify and remove obstacles to digital mental health care.
The Law Enforcement De-Escalation Training Act, which will equip law enforcement officers with the tools to safely respond to people in crisis, was passed by Congress and signed into law. It was a priority of Senators John Cornyn and Sheldon Whitehouse.
The omnibus legislation passed by Congress included key provisions to support mental health care. The Institute provided advice and information to lawmakers throughout the process.
Policy Guidance
From advising state leadership to providing invited testimony before legislative committees to a growing presence in the nation’s capitol, the Meadows Institute helped advance support for smarter, more effective policies that improve communities and save lives.
Stats
7,000
Texas youth and families who could benefit from MST
75%
reduction in violent crimes with MST
$4.7M
of initial Uvalde Response funding allocated for MST
Multisystemic Therapy (MST) is a family- and community-based treatment for at-risk youth with intensive needs and their families. It is the only evidence-based treatment that has been shown to reduce violent crime among adolescents, bringing rates down by as much as 75%. With Meadows Institute guidance, state leaders dedicated $4.7 million of their initial Uvalde response funding to expand MST programs across Texas.
Catalyzing Change
Lone Star Depression Challenge
In 2022, the Meadows Institute extended the reach of this visionary movement to touch a broader swath of the Lone Star State, from El Paso to Houston and from North Texas to the Rio Grande Valley.
Message from our Chair
Linda Perryman Evans
Message from our CEO
Andy Keller, PhD
When we began 2022, we knew we all needed to do more for the children of Texas. 2021 ended with a public health warning from the Surgeon General about the mental health of our nation’s children, and our primary focus early in the year was on helping more children and youth access care sooner, particularly through the innovative programs of the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium.
Centers of Excellence
The Institute’s Centers of Excellence are dedicated to advancing effective solutions for specific issues and populations. From the intersection of mental illness and the justice system to addressing trauma and grief, to improving the mental health of children and their families.
Center for Child & Family Wellness
Center for Justice & Health
Trauma & Grief Center
In 2022, the Trauma & Grief (TAG) Center continued its core work but pivoted in May to take a lead role in the state’s Health and Human Services Commission response to the trauma and grief in the Uvalde community.
Our Regional Centers
The Hackett Center for Mental Health
Paso Del Norte Center
Engage & Excel Mental Health Conference
The Seventh Annual Engage & Excel Conference was the Institute’s most impactful yet.