Callaway County Public Administrator Karen Digh Allen recently joined over 2,000 county leaders from across the country for the National Association of Counties (NACo) Legislative Conference.
The conference was from Feb. 11-14. There, the county leaders discussed NACo's legislative priorities, attended workshops and met with representatives from Capitol Hill and federal agencies, according to a release.
Matt Chase, NACo executive director and CEO, announced NACo's National Commission on Mental Health and Wellbeing. Digh Allen said this was the highlight of the conference.
The commission will be comprised of 14 members, and will "develop policy and programmatic recommendations at the federal, state and local levels to address systemic issues contributing to mental health challenges throughout the United States," a release states.
At the conference, Digh Allen went to policy streering meetings for the Justice and Public Safety and Veterans and Military Services committees. She also served as a NACo ambassador for people attending the conference for the first time.
On the final day of the conference, Digh Allen and other leaders spoke to Missouri senators about mental health issues that are impacting counties across the state, according to a release.