; Whereas the Carter Center’s Mental Health Program, established in 1990, under the leadership and guidance of Mrs. Carter, continues to build consensus in order to effect positive change in mental health and substance use policy and systems, with a focus on vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, and those who care for individuals with mental health disorders or substance use disorder. Whereas, in 1996, Mrs. Carter established the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism, which have provided training and support to more than 260 journalists in the United States and abroad to report accurately and sensitively about and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health disorders, mental health care, mental health law and policy, and related issues; Whereas Mrs. Carter, in 2008, played a key role in supporting the passage of the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, which helps ensure that mental health disorders and substance use disorders are covered by insurance at parity with other illnesses; Whereas throughout Mrs. Carter’s 50 plus years of advocacy for mental health, she has been an effective champion for rights of persons with mental illness and substance use disorders, the inclusion of persons with lived experience in the crafting of policy, and the elimination of stigma and discrimination against people with mental health disorders, which are among the most common health conditions around the world; Whereas Mrs. Carter believed that solutions are truly within our reach to overcome stigma, provide mental health advocacy and substance use prevention programming in all communities, and make treatment and support available to all, including the people who care for individuals with mental health and substance use disorders, allowing every individual the chance to create a happy and fulfilling future