Advocacy & Public Policy

People living with schizophrenia deserve effective treatment, access to comprehensive care and to be treated with respect and urgency. With proper treatment and support, many people with schizophrenia can achieve recovery. But this requires care that our siloed healthcare system does not often provide, and equitable access to services that many public policies do not support.

We advocate for laws and policies that address these realities:

  • The impact of schizophrenia is often devastating and chronically disabling.
  • Multiple barriers stand in the way of successful treatment.
  • More effective treatments with fewer side effects are urgently needed.
  • People with schizophrenia are not treated with urgency or understanding.

We call for specific action in the following areas:

The voices of our community are critical to help us tell the stories of the discrimination people with this severe brain disease face every day. Join us to advocate for action – and help shatter barriers to treatment, survival and recovery.

Our Approach to Advocacy

We proudly advocate for the unmet needs of our community:

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We speak up to represent the voices of our community:

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We stand with coalitions aiming to remove barriers to treatment:

The voices of our community are critical to help us tell the stories of the discrimination people with this severe brain disease face every day. Join us to advocate for action – and help shatter barriers to treatment, survival and recovery.

We provide expert perspectives and viewpoints:

Center Forward sponsored half-day health care summit on the future of telehealth and health IT which featured S&PAA participation

We go on the record and encourage policy makers to share our community's concerns through nonpartisan "sign on" outreach.

We express concerns about proposed policies which stand in the way of medication innovation for individuals impacted by schizophrenia.

We use data to inform our insights about the needs of people living with schizophrenia:

The challenge of accurately estimating schizophrenia prevalence in the US is highlighted, underscoring the need for regular surveys.

Advocacy Goals

  • Directing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to conduct a multi-sectoral study to examine the cost impact of severe mental illnesses on the nation’s housing, health care, and penal systems while also conducting a system-wide epidemiologic study on schizophrenia and serious mental illness. This will update the first Epidemiologic Catchment Area (ECA) program of research commissioned in 1977.
 
  • Significantly increasing the annual NIMH clinical research budget allocations for evidence-based studies with the best potential to improve outcomes for individuals with schizophrenia.
 
  • Reauthorizing the 21st Century Cures Act to include funding for priorities that serve individuals living with schizophrenia.
 
  • Establishing schizophrenia as a neurodevelopmental, neurological medical condition.

 

  • Transforming the treatment paradigm to a whole person-focused model with an integrated team of psychiatrists, neurologists, and other providers.
 
  • Making incarceration and homelessness unacceptable outcomes for those living with schizophrenia or schizophrenia-related illnesses.
  • Replacing incarceration and homelessness with medical treatment, entitlements, and supportive housing with clinical services.
 
  • Eliminating the Medicaid Institution for Mental Disease (IMD) exclusion to increase available treatment beds.
 
  • Evaluating why there are differences in HIPAA implementation between physical health care (PHC) and behavioral health care (BHC) and evaluating the use of “responsible parties.”
 
  • Partnering with industry professionals to accelerate the promotion of clinical trials and recruitment.
 
  • Reducing misunderstanding and discrimination against those living with schizophrenia or schizophrenia-related illnesses through education and policy changes.
 
  • Promoting timely and appropriate diagnoses, treatments, peer support intervention, and education.
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We believe in recovery and a cure for schizophrenia.
Join us on this journey today.

Thanks to a generous donor, your gift will be matched, up to $25,000, and your impact doubled to help S&PAA’s critical work.

We believe in recovery and a cure for schizophrenia. Donate today.