Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute

Every day, more than 32,000 calls made to 911 involve a person experiencing a mental health crisis. Yet many 911 call takers receive little to no specialized training on how to respond to behavioral health emergencies.

With support from the AAA-ICDR Foundation, the Meadows Institute partnered with Fountain House to interview individuals living with serious mental illnesses about their experiences calling 911 during a mental health crisis. The goal was to better understand how emergency response systems can support people in their most vulnerable moments.

The study found that trust, empathy, clear communication, and opportunities for choice can play a critical role in helping callers feel heard, understood, and supported.

These insights informed the development of training curricula, discussion guides, call center triage tools, and other resources to help 911 call centers strengthen their response to mental health emergencies.

📘 Read the full white paper to learn how lived experience can help shape more effective, person-centered responses to mental health crises: https://mmhpi.org/project/learning-from-persons-with-lived-experience-in-911-crisis-response/

#911

Learning from Persons with Lived Experience in 911 Crisis Response - Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute To better understand how people experiencing a mental health crisis may want to engage with 911 and other crisis response services, the Meadows Institute and Fountain House partnered to conduct interviews with people living with serious mental illness.

Our CEO and president, Andy Keller, and executive director of The Hackett Center for Mental Health, Quianta Moore, recently attended the Texas Brain Economy Summit, hosted by the Center For Houston's Future, Project Metis, and The University of Texas Medical Branch. This event convened hundreds of global thought leaders across academia, industry, healthcare, and government to address an emerging sector: the brain economy.

With neurological and mental health conditions becoming leading drivers of the global disease burden, the Meadows Institute was honored to contribute to the dialogue, with Keller moderating a panel on brain health and AI and Moore serving as a panelist on early brain development.

As we look to the future, Texas has the opportunity to lead the way in advancing brain health with solutions that help people, families, and communities thrive.

Learn more about the Texas Brain Economy Summit: https://lnkd.in/geP373jx

Join us Tuesday, June 9, from 12-1 p.m. CT for the second online session of our Collaborative Care in Action Series: Reimagining the Workforce to Expand Access and Sustainability of Integrated Care. This dynamic panel discussion is presented in partnership with the Center of Excellence for Integrated Health Solutions (CoE-IHS) at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, and funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Register for this panel to:

✅ Identify emerging workforce models and scalable solutions that address staffing gaps in integrated primary and behavioral health care.

✅ Explore actionable strategies to improve recruitment, retention and role optimization in integrated care teams.

✅ Discuss unique staffing needs based on differing working environments.

Featured speakers:

➡️ Jessica Lyons, MS, LMFT, Cofounder and Chief Clinical Officer, Helios Behavioral Health

➡️ Stephen Warnick Jr., MD, National Director of Integrated Behavioral Health, Accompany Health

➡️ Julie Luzarraga, LICSW, DSCW, Dignity in Healing Collective

🔗 Register for this session today: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wbMnzcNlRt-s57QuFh8xjg

This virtual session is supported by the Center of Excellence for Integrated Health Solutions, funded by a grant award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. If you have questions about these sessions, please contact [email protected].

AI is the most talked about topic in mental health care, but how do we balance its potential with real-world safety?

The latest episode of the Kasich & Keller Conversation Series tackles this important question. Join John Kasich, the former governor of Ohio, and Andy Keller, the Meadows Institute president and CEO, as they welcome special guest Dr. Megan Jones Bell, the director of clinical at Google, to dive deep into the future of mental health technology.

Together, they engage in a lively conversation about the promises and the perils of cutting-edge technology in mental health care, and how to use AI both safely and effectively for the greatest possible good.

Watch the full episode here: https://mmhpi.org/learning-library/kasich-keller-may-2026/

College is an important time for a young adult’s mental health. New pressures and independence can bring challenges to the surface. Minding College Minds is an initiative that helps higher education leaders turn mental health support into a shared institutional responsibility.

Through this framework, the Meadows Institute helps colleges develop mental health systems that cultivate a culture of well-being that aim to increase student success and retention.

By strengthening these connections, we remove barriers to achievement and help students reach their full potential.

We invite you to learn about the work being done to support community mental health by diving into our annual report: https://2025report.mmhpi.org/children-and-families/

Today, we remember and honor the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

The Meadows Institute remains committed to transforming mental health for veterans and their families in a way that meets the unique needs of the military community.

Their service and sacrifice remind us of the duty we have to support the well-being of those who protect us.

Join us on May 27 for Helping Hands, Healing Hearts, a free, one-hour workshop designed to help caregivers support a child who has experienced trauma. This workshop is facilitated by clinicians at the Trauma and Grief (TAG) Center at The Hackett Center for Mental Health at the Meadows Institute, and is sponsored by the Cullen Foundation and Sarofim Foundation.

By the end of the workshop, participants will learn how to:

✅ Define trauma and distinguish it from common stress responses in children and adolescents
✅ Identify age-specific signs of traumatic stress
✅ Recognize trauma and loss reminders
✅ Apply practical, caregiver-centered strategies to support children who have experienced a trauma
✅ Understand when to seek additional mental health support for youth showing trauma related-challenges

🗓️ May 27, 2026
🕣 12-1 p.m. CT
📍 Zoom
🎟️ Free and open to the public
🔗 Register today: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/FMNqyOBRS-OdNk7GJmdMGA #/registration

The Meadows Institute supports the Collaborative Care Model, an evidence-based approach considered the gold standard for integrating mental health into primary care. By making mental health care available at your primary care doctor or pediatrician, people can be connected to care in settings that they already know and trust.

Even better, needs can be identified early so that people don’t have to wait for a crisis to receive care.

We invite you to learn about the work being done to build trust with patients and clinicians by diving into our annual report: https://2025report.mmhpi.org/health-system-transformation/

Join us on May 20 for Understanding Child Sexual Abuse, a free, one-hour workshop in a three-webinar series designed to help caregivers understand and support children who have experienced sexual abuse.

This first webinar in the series will provide caregivers with a clear understanding on what sexual abuse is and is not, while exploring common reactions children and teens may experience. The workshop is facilitated by clinicians at the Trauma and Grief (TAG) Center at The Hackett Center for Mental Health at the Meadows Institute, and is being generously supported by Krista and Michael Dumas.

By the end of the workshop, participants will learn how to:

✅ Recognize common signs of sexual abuse
✅ Implement strategies to support youth who have experienced sexual abuse
✅ Identify when and how to seek additional support
✅ Identify ways to support themselves as they support others

🗓️ May 20, 2026
🕣 12-1 p.m. CT
📍 Zoom
🎟️ Free and open to the public
🔗 Register today: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CViF1bHVS4qmGeVGHwW4WQ #/registration

We are honored to have been named a finalist for D CEO Magazine's 2026 Nonprofit and Corporate Citizenship Awards, presented in partnership with the Communities Foundation of Texas!

It's a privilege to be recognized in the category of Organization of the Year alongside so many incredible nonprofits that are deeply committed to serving our North Texas community.

Read the announcement and see the full list of finalists here: https://www.dmagazine.com/philanthropy-nonprofits/2026/05/finalists-announced-d-ceos-nonprofit-and-corporate-citizenship-awards-2025-2/