Cory Gunkel
Social Media Manager, National Council for Behavioral Health
About 20 veterans a day die by suicide, and fewer than 50 percent of our returning service members who need mental health care receive it. The statistics are as startling as they are revealing. As veterans return and transition back into civilian life, they too often suffer in silence or reach out for help in […]
Pahoua K. Yang
Vice President, Community Mental Health and Wellness, Amherst H. Wilder Foundation
When Cha* was brought to us at the Wilder Foundation, he was out of control and struggling with addiction. He was homeless, had no insurance, no job and no path to recovery. His parents, who were his main support, didn’t speak English. They didn’t know much about substance use or mental health disorders, but they […]
Sarah Linden, MPH
Project Coordinator, National Council for Behavioral Health
It’s a statistic you’ve probably seen before – people with serious mental illness die an average of 15 to 30 years younger than those without. This difference represents the largest health disparity in the U.S.; larger than gender, racial or socioeconomic differences. And unlike some of the other gaps that are slowly closing, it isn’t […]
Jody Levison-Johnson
Assistant Vice President, Practice Improvement
Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see. – Neil Postman Childhood should be a time of innocence and security, of learning through play. Sadly, one in five children age 13 to 18 have or will have a mental illness, and suicide is the third leading cause of death […]
Chuck Ingoglia
Senior Vice President, Public Policy & Practice Improvement
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) is interested in developing and deploying an alternative payment model for people living with behavioral health conditions. To do this, they convened the Behavioral Health Payment and Care Delivery Innovation Summit. It is encouraging to see CMMI’s attention on this important issue. A model already exists that, […]
Dana Lange
Project Coordinator, National Council for Behavioral Health
The question may seem simple: what motivates you to get out of bed each day? For many, the answer comes easily – whether it be family and friends, career or education, or simply just a good ol’ cup of hot coffee. For some – often those managing mental illness or addiction – the answer isn’t […]
By Carol Clayton
Translational Neuroscientist for Relias Learning
Put yourself in two scenarios: Scenario 1: You are with a large provider agency that spent the last 18 months implementing an electronic record system across 11 sites and three service lines. You just received a Medicaid notice stating that, effective July 1 of this year, your agency will be under a performance-based payment model […]
Erica Hoffman
Communications Intern
Risk management is the culture, processes and structures that help us recognize and understand the potential for adverse effects. As the quality of risk management improves, so does the quality of patient safety and care.
Jeremy Atterman
Project Coordinator, National Council for Behavioral Health
Here’s a question every soon-to-be Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) should be asking itself: “Who is going to lead as our organization adapts to new ways of doing business?” CCBHC implementation is an all-hands-on-deck moment for any organization. Your CEO’s vision will guide the way for growth and opportunity within your organization. Your board […]
Hannah Huntt & Flannery Peterson
National Council for Behavioral Health
Improving the quality of life for justice-involved individuals living with mental illness and substance use disorders (SUD) can start with something as small as a simple conversation. Two organizations in Hennepin County, Minnesota — Hennepin County Community Services (HCCS) and RESOURCE Chemical and Mental Health — can attest to this strategy. As participants in the […]
