LISTEN: GPB's Kristi York Wooten speaks with Carter Center CEO Paige Alexander about future plans for its mental health programs.
Rosalynn Carter was the nation’s leading mental health advocate for more than half a century — first in the Georgia governor’s mansion, then in the White House and later at the Carter Center. In her final months, she was diagnosed with dementia and died Nov. 19, 2023.
Her pioneering work was admired by many people around the world, and her music-filled sendoff at Emory University's Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church in Atlanta last November was attended by her then-99-year-old husband, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, their four children, all five living U.S. first ladies — Dr. Jill Biden, Melania Trump, Michelle Obama, Laura Bush and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton — plus Vice President Kamala Harris, Georgia's U.S. senators, Gov. Brian Kemp and others.
Now, a year after her death, Mrs. Carter's work is still ongoing. Carter Center CEO Paige Alexander talked with GPB's Kristi York Wooten about the center's mental health programs and their impact in Georgia and around the world.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Kristi York Wooten: This is GPB. I'm Kristi York Wooten. Today, we have Paige Alexander, CEO of the Carter Center, here with us to talk about the first anniversary since Rosalynn Carter died last November. Mrs. Carter has been honored with awards and recognition since her passing in 2023, including CNN Heroes and others. Paige, can you tell us how the Carter Center has adapted to building upon her legacy?
Paige Alexander: Thanks so much, Kristi. You know, we really have been comforted by the memory that she left and the legacy that she has left. The memorial service last year really gave voice to so much of what she did that many people think were behind the scenes. She had been working for 50 years on mental health and trying to destigmatize these issues. And I think people really learned so much about her during her memorial service. And for us, that's been very comforting.
Kristi York Wooten: I'm glad you actually mentioned the memorial service because that's one of the things that just really showed people who she was. But can you give our listeners an overview kind of geographically … I know there are some [Carter Center mental health programs] here in Georgia, but internationally, what does that look like?
Paige Alexander: Mrs. Carter's vision and foresight on mental health advocacy lives on, and it's both domestic and global. For us, we've had these wonderful wins in Georgia on mental health parity on the speaker — former [Georgia House of Representatives] Speaker [David] Ralston and Mrs. Carter coming together for us to make sure that we are focused on Georgians who, if they break their leg, they have insurance. But what if they have a mental health crisis? And that type of parity, that right to access was something that was not really known here in Georgia or in various states around the country. And so bringing light to that has been important nationally.
We opened a Mental Health and Caregiving Advocacy office in Washington, D.C., to, again, make sure that people understand what their rights are. And globally, we've worked in Liberia reestablishing their entire mental health professional field. The president of Liberia came to us and said, 'I have three mental health professionals in the whole country and two are about to retire.' And now we have almost 400 trained mental health professionals in Liberia. And we're looking at other African countries to make sure that we bring that to the forefront.
Kristi York Wooten: Tell me a little bit about the school-based behavioral health services that I know you all are working toward.
Paige Alexander: Parents and students realized after COVID how important mental health was. And so our school-based behavioral health program in Georgia has been a real effort to make sure that we raise these issues up and that school counselors and teachers and parents understand that this part of their children's mental health is an important part of their schoolwork, as well.
Kristi York Wooten: Tell me a little bit more about what you hope the Rosalynn Carter Mental Health Journalism Fellows will continue to do. Are there things that you are looking forward for them to spotlight in the years ahead?
Paige Alexander: Well, I think, you know, when people say a picture is worth a thousand words, the reality is that, you know, words mean a lot these days, whether it's in social media, whether it's in print or broadcast. And so, having journalists give voice to some of these issues on mental health has been incredibly important. We have over 250 Rosalynn Carter journalist fellows who have gone through this program. We also now have a newsroom collaborative.
So you — when the journalists go back to their newsroom, their editors now understand the importance of highlighting these issues. And it's everything from mental health and substance abuse to suicide and Alzheimer's and caregiving. These are issues that affect families. And Mrs. Carter knew this 50 years ago, and she tried to shine a light on destigmatizing these issues. And so having journalists as part of this discussion is incredibly important.
Kristi York Wooten: Talking about Mrs. Carter's role in health care policy — maybe not policymaking, but driving sort of the force of shifting the focus from solely the management of illnesses to well-being, proactive diagnoses and things that ultimately would help reduce stigma if you're approaching that ahead of the curve as opposed to later down the road.
Paige Alexander: Well, there are so many levels between policy and direct services, and Mrs. Carter recognized that and her example of bipartisanship and being able to work across party lines in the Georgia governor's mansion, as well as in the White House and here at the Carter Center, sort of helped that policy level.
And then, you know, pushing it to the direct service providers who recognize what the needs are. And so I think she had an incredible instinct for how to work together for the sake of those in need. And that is part of her legacy, and it's part of what we've learned from. You can't just attack it at the direct service level. You have to do it at the policy level and the space in between. And so that's where the Carter Center has built our programs.
Kristi York Wooten: Do you see any challenges with the Carter Center's mental health program in particular, but anything with regard to the incoming administration, or is it more about things that are happening at the state level at this point, with the future of the programming?
Paige Alexander: And, you know, again, these are issues that affect everybody. And Mrs. Carter's initial friendship with Betty Ford, Gerald Ford's wife, a former first lady who was a Republican, was very important in elevating everything from women's rights to addiction care and mental health. And I think that it's a nonpartisan issue. I think every family, regardless of their political affiliation, has these issues in their family. And so it's not really attacking it at that level. It's bringing communities together to talk about it, whether it's at the state level or the federal level. And I think that this is the triangulation that's needed.
And it's — the sad thing about COVID is I think it really raised awareness for every family about how important these issues are. And we've benefited from that. Mental health and attention to mental health has benefited from that. And again, it was Mrs. Carter's 50-year bell that she was ringing. And the fact that this has brought it to light has just opened it up for real, honest discussions that are nonpartisan.
Kristi York Wooten: And, circling back to just mental health parity. And, you know, you talked about Speaker Ralston and how that legislation was pushed through at the state level. And I know that there's going to be the annual mental health parity day at the Capitol in Georgia. How do you view that being a banner by proxy to ending stigma?
Paige Alexander: Well, I think elevating the issues and talking about it is important, but educating people on it is equally as important. And we've been very fortunate to work with the Arthur M. Blank Foundation, both in Albany and Chatham County down in Savannah, to run campaigns to make sure people understood that what their access was.
And I think as we spread out the education piece of it, for people to know that this is a requirement in the state piece for how to make sure that insurance companies are doing what they're supposed to. I think all of those issues are part of her legacy. But the flexibility; we didn't have the ability to do that 10 or 15 years ago, but we have the ability to do it now.
You know, and the second annual mental health parity day at the Georgia Capitol is going to be in February. And it brings together stakeholders and legislators. I was there last year, and it is amazing how many people talk about, “This is a family issue for me.” “This is close to my heart.” You've got, you know, don't have someone call 911 for an emergency. You know, there's another number [988] that they can call and get that suicide prevention line. ... That's the education piece of it, I think.
