We Need Action on Youth Mental Health and Substance Use
The American Academy of Pediatrics and other prominent health associations declared a national state of emergency in children’s mental health last week.
Avery Brien
Senior State Advocacy Manager, Substance Use Disorders
Avery Brien serves as a Senior State Advocacy Manager for the Substance Use Disorder team, supporting state consumer advocacy groups in the expansion of substance use disorder treatment and prevention services for youth and young adults.
Prior to joining Community Catalyst, Avery worked as a Program Manager at The Bassuk Center on Homeless and Vulnerable Children and Youth where they led a national coalition of homeless service providers and provided technical assistance to organizations working to integrate mental health, substance use treatment, and other services into program design.
Avery was a Research Coordinator at the Center for Social Innovation and has served as a policy analyst and project manager within academia, government institutions and non-profit organizations.
They have a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New Hampshire and a Master of Public Policy from Brandeis University.
Community Catalyst works to ensure consumer interests are represented wherever important decisions about health and the health system are made: in communities, courtrooms, statehouses and on Capitol Hill.