NASHP, with support from the Commonwealth Fund, has launched a multi-state learning collaborative with five participating states: Illinois, New Jersey, Oregon, Texas, and West Virginia. The 12-month collaborative supports state teams in building behavioral health system capacity and improving access to the needed interventions at the right place and right time.
Key targets for the collaborative include increasing primary and behavioral health care integration for children, youth, and adults — in clinics and in community — and building a robust crisis continuum of care. The collaborative helps states advance their own goals, exchange strategies and best practices, and provides opportunities to learn from national, state, and local experts about effective and promising approaches. State teams are advancing reforms in policy, administration, workforce, payment and delivery, and data and evaluation.
“Addressing the mental health and substance abuse crises that were brought into sharp relief during the pandemic is a major priority across the country, and we are delighted to partner with the Commonwealth Fund to provide a rich technical assistance opportunity for our colleagues in these five states,” said Hemi Tewarson, NASHP’s executive director.
“Oregon is proud to participate in the NASHP Behavioral Health Modernization Collaborative, where we are working together to drive transformational change and create a more equitable and meaningful future for those experiencing behavioral health issues. Through our collective efforts and collaboration, we are committed to improving the lives of all Oregonians and the systems that support them,” said Team Oregon, a cross section of officials in the state’s Medicaid and behavioral health leadership in the Oregon Health Authority.
“The New Jersey Department of Human Services looks forward to collaborating alongside the National Academy for State Health Policy on this year-long initiative to do all we can to enhance our behavioral health delivery system and bolster our health care workforce to help curb the mental health and addiction crises facing youth and adults in our state,” said Sarah Adelman, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Human Services. “With our partners and under the leadership of Governor Murphy, we are committed to making sure New Jerseyans, especially the most vulnerable in our state, have the resources they need.”
Leaders at all levels of government and across politically diverse states are seeking to expand access to behavioral health services and supports. The spike in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with diminished provider capacity, further challenged access to care and accelerated calls to modernize long strained and under-resourced behavioral health systems. States play a central role in shaping these systems to meet the unique needs of their residents and can capitalize on renewed federal investment and the evolving policy landscape to make real improvements.
Learn more about NASHP’s behavioral health work.
