Reflections on working for Senator Edward Kennedy, a vital ally in the effort to improve mental health access and care.

The author worked as a health policy fellow in the office of Senator Edward M. Kennedy in 1999. These reflections on that experience provide a description of the ambience of working on health policy issues in the US Congress, how the author utilized his community psychiatric knowledge and skills to assist in the process of developing and promoting various health and mental health related issues, and what it was like working in the Kennedy office. In the wake of his death, the Senator's long and influential career and especially his role in advancing health and mental health access and care improvement cannot be overstated.