This event is open to NEC Members only and will not be recorded.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unwelcome reminder of just how much health matters for individuals, society, and the global economy. As the whole world reimagines public health and continues to rebuild, we have a unique opportunity to not merely restore the past but to dramatically advance broad-based health and prosperity. In this discussion, we’ll hear in-depth data about the benefits of prioritizing physical and behavioral health (mental and substance use disorders) in the COVID-19 era and beyond. What benefits? Well, it could mean 65 is the new 55, and prioritizing health in the US could lead to 8 million more people alive in 2040. But challenges abound, and behavioral health during COVID-19 has worsened to crisis levels, especially for communities of color. Please join Janna Remes and Kana Enomoto for a frank discussion of the current state of physical and behavioral health, and hear concrete actions we can all take to help improve lives and livelihoods across the world.

REGISTRATION IS OPEN! A link to the webinar will be sent prior to the event (by 11am EST, 9/24) to those who sign up. Registration will be open until 11am, Thursday, September 24, 2020. You should receive a confirmation email after registering. If not, contact the NEC for that or any other questions at manager@national-economists.org.

About the Speakers:

Jaana Remes is an economist and a partner at the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI), McKinsey’s business and economics research arm. Since 2003, she has led MGI’s research on competitiveness, growth, health and urbanization. Her most recent research sizes the global economic and social benefits from rethinking health as an investment, not just a cost to manage. She has also led MGI’s research on energy, with a focus on understanding the microeconomic underpinnings of global energy demand and the opportunity to reduce energy consumption through higher energy productivity. (Read more here)

Kana Enomoto specializes in behavioral health, public health, and delivery-system reform. She has more than 20 years of experience as a federal executive in mental-health and substance-use policy, data, programs, and practice improvement. Kana is an adaptive leader with a strong record of achieving public-policy goals, delivering programmatic impact, and inspiring organizational and social change. (Read more here)

Publications & Articles of interest:
Prioritizing health: A prescription for prosperity
Returning to resilience: The impact of COVID-19 on mental health and substance use
A holistic approach for the US behavioral health crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic
Understanding the hidden costs of COVID-19’s potential impact on US healthcare