What is Mrs. Carter's involvement in mental health issues?

Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter is known worldwide as a leader and advocate in the field of mental health. From serving on governmental commissions to advance mental health services during her husband's terms as Georgia governor and U.S. president to her current work leading Carter Center projects to influence public policy and reduce stigma, Mrs. Carter has worked tirelessly for more than 25 years to improve the quality of life for those living with mental illnesses and their families.
 
In 1985, she initiated the Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy, which brings together representatives of mental health organizations nationwide to focus and coordinate their efforts on key issues. Responding to the need for local collaboration, she instituted in 1996 an annual Georgia Mental Health Forum for professionals and consumers statewide. With the inception of the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism in 1996, Mrs. Carter launched one of the most successful national programs in combating the stigma associated with mental illnesses.
 
Mrs. Carter chairs the task force that sets the mental health program agenda at the Center and also chairs the International Committee of Women Leaders for Mental Health, a global coalition of first ladies, royalty, and heads of state. Through the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving at Georgia Southwestern State University, established in her honor at her alma mater, Mrs. Carter addresses the concerns of those who take care of people suffering from mental illnesses and other chronic illnesses and long-term disabilities.
   
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