PROVIDENCE -- Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy was greeted with a standing ovation when he was introduced at Brown University this morning, his first public appearance since a car crash near the U.S. Capitol drove him to enter an alcohol and drug abuse treatment center on May 5.
Journal photo / Bob Thayer
Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, D-R.I., waits as he is introduced by Elizabeth Burke Bryant, executive director of Rhode Island Kids Count, during a conference on behavioral health, "Frontiers of Health Care," at Brown University on Monday, June 5.
The congressman arrived at the seminar on mental illness shortly after 10 a.m. -- tracked by a horde of photographers and television cameras -- wearing a navy suit with a royal blue shirt, and a red tie with yellow stripes.
This year, the conference "has special personal importance to me," Kennedy said to a partly-filled auditorium this morning.
Kennedy spoke for roughly 35 minutes, in clear and forceful terms, and was frequently interrupted by applause.
He sought to make the point that his own struggle with mental illness and alcohol and drug abuse had much in common with the struggle of millions of Americans.
Rep. James R. Langevin and U.S. Senate candidate Sheldon Whitehouse, fellow Rhode Island Democrats, were among his supporters in the audience.
Kennedy, who still may face police charges in connection with the pre-dawn accident, was discharged late Friday from the addiction center at the Mayo Clinic. A self-described pain pill abuser and binge drinker for most of his adult life, Kennedy completed a four-week course of rehabilitation at the Minnesota clinic, according to his office. Kennedy has said he took a prescription sleeping drug and other medication before the predawn accident.
In his speech this morning, he disclosed that House colleague Rep. Jim Ramstad, a Minnesota Republican, visited him four times at the Mayo Clinic. Kennedy said that Ramstad, who publicly acknowledged he is a recovering alcoholic, will serve as Kennedy's sponsor in his ongoing recovery.
The son of U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., and member of the country's most famous political clan, spent most of the weekend at the home of his sister, Kara Kennedy Allen, and her family in suburban Washington. He returned to Rhode Island last night, staying downtown at the Hotel Providence.
Today, Kennedy, whose mother, Joan Kennedy, has waged a public battle with substance abuse, addressed an annual conference that he helped found at Brown Medical School.
Titled "Imagining the Future of Behavioral Health," it is the third in the annual Frontiers of Health Care series co-sponsored by Kennedy and Brown in collaboration with the Brown Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior. This year's event is dedicated to examining the future of mental health care and addiction treatment and accelerating the transition of knowledge into practice, according to a description on Brown's Web site.
Kennedy was greeted this morning by a full-page advertisement in The Providence Journal that expressed support from members of the state's medical, mental-health and drug-abuse treatment communities. Several politicians were also among the 50 signers of the ad.
"Substance abuse treatment is available and effective, but not enough people seek it,'' the advertisement said in part. "Patrick Kennedy's entry into intensive treatment provides an excellent model for others who are dealing with an addiction.''
Meanwhile, in a statement released by Kennedy's office, the Mayo Clinic said: ``Congressman Kennedy's doctors are encouraged by his progress and have worked with him to put in place a stringent system of after care that may include periodic visits to Mayo Clinic for continued health care consultation.''
At the podium this morning, Kennedy expressed gratitude that there were no injuries when he crashed his car near the U.S. Capitol.
"I am able to get up every day and I feel blessed," Kennedy said, "that I didn't hurt anybody."
The congressman also addressed the seriousness of his situation.
"I recognize that 'concluded' is not a word that I’ll ever be able to use when it comes to my aftercare," he said.
In a press conference after his speech, Kennedy fielded questions about whether his return to the stressful life of a congressman would be at odds with his needs as a recovering addict.
"Every job is full of pressures," Kennedy replied, adding that he enjoys that many other recovering addicts do not, for example, "most Americans can't get access to twenty-eight days in a treatment center like the Mayo Clinic."
"I know that I am doing everything I need to do to succeed" in his recovery, he said.
In his speech and at the press conference, Kennedy stressed that he has embraced the "one day at a time" philosophy of Alcoholics Anonymous. He says he's building a recovery support network in Washington and Rhode Island and said he has attended self-help group meetings.
Kennedy also attended a lunch and discussion focusing on the emotional challenges facing military families with loved ones at war, where he made some remarks from the floor.
He then left the conference, driven by a staff member. He planned to return to Washington by tomorrow, when Congress will reconvene after the Memorial Day recess.
ARTICLE TOOLS: 
