Dr. Sarah Vinson was recently appointed to the Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee (ISMICC) by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. The ISMICC reports to Congress and federal agencies on issues related to serious mental illness (SMI) and serious emotional disturbance (SED). Dr. Vinson’s appointment to this esteemed Committee is yet another indication that her expertise is valued on the highest levels and resonates far beyond the mental health community.
The ISMICC was established when the 21st Century Cures Act was signed into law in December of 2016. The new entity “was established to make recommendations for actions that federal departments can take to better coordinate the administration of mental health services for adults with a serious mental illness or children with a serious emotional disturbance.” According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, ISMICC offers a broad range of expertise and guidance to Congress and other federal departments, including summarizing advances in SMI and SED research, evaluating the effect that federal programs related to SMI have on public health, and making specific recommendations for actions that agencies can take on a variety of mental health-related topics.
In addition to her appointment to ISMICC, Dr. Vinson was appointed by the Governor of Georgia to serve on two state commissions. Dr. Sarah Vinson continues to influence and shape the trajectory of mental health care and the policy context in which it is administered.
