National Council for Behavioral Health

Nicholas Addison Thomas

Director of Content Marketing, National Council for Behavioral Health

The demand for behavioral health care knows no boundaries. Every day, we are connecting vulnerable populations – like migrant families and their children – to the care they deserve. With this in mind, we’ve put together a collection of external resources to help you maximize your impact in your community. Click on the links below […]

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Nicholas Addison Thomas

Director of Content Marketing, National Council for Behavioral Health

In this membership spotlight, we talk with Tami Lewis-Ahrendt, executive vice president and COO of CenterPointe, about what it takes to run a treatment, rehabilitation and housing provider for homeless and low-income individuals in Lincoln, Nebraska. Tell us about your organization. What role does CenterPointe play in the community? “Our mission is to ‘help the […]

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Heather Jefferis

Executive Director of the Oregon Council For Behavioral Health

In this Membership Spotlight, Heather Jefferis, a National Council board member and executive director of the Oregon Council For Behavioral Health, opens up about the workforce development issues in her state and shares best practices for getting more out of the recruitment process. What challenges have you encountered hiring qualified staff in the behavioral health […]

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Mindy Klowden, MNM

Director of Training and Technical Assistance, National Council for Behavioral Health

The health care landscape is shifting from traditional fee-for-service models that incentivize volume of care toward value-based payment (VBP) models. VBP models create incentives for providers to improve health care quality and demonstrate better health outcomes at lower costs. Initially focused on physical health care, VBP models are becoming more prevalent in behavioral health, in […]

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Charles Ingoglia, MSW

President and CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health

Do you remember the moment you realized that timely access to mental health and addictions services is important? It’s different for all of us. For some, it’s the first time you try to help a family member, a friend, a colleague or yourself navigate a mental health or addiction crisis. Unfortunately, many Americans discover that […]

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Rachel Huggins

Communications Manager, National Council for Behavioral Health

All young people deserve to grow into healthy, resilient adults. Yet the mental health and well-being of young people in the U.S. is in an alarming state. Depression diagnoses among adolescents increased 63 percent between 2013 and 2016. Suicide attempts are four times more likely among LGBTQ youth and deaths by suicide are roughly two […]

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Victor Armstrong, MSW

Vice President of Behavioral Health for Atrium Health, and a member of the National Council's board of directors

One of the remaining taboos in many communities of color is the stigma around mental illness. Whether it’s depression or anxiety (or, the worst-case scenario, suicide), there is a longstanding belief in these communities that such concerns are taboo, and their impact is the problem of “the other.” Though communities of color, because of socioeconomic […]

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Vitka Eisen, MSW, Ed.D.

President and CEO HealthRIGHT 360, Board Member, National Council for Behavioral Health

More than 30 years ago, long past the realization that it was time for me to stop injecting heroin, I turned to the warm, welcoming staff at San Francisco’s Haight Asbury Free Clinics. They had already seen me through multiple unsuccessful attempts, yet I felt no judgment, heard no dogma and wasn’t ever threatened with […]

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Carl Clark, M.D.

President and CEO, Mental Health Center of Denver, Board Member, National Council for Behavioral Health

Serving on a nonprofit board of directors is an honor and a privilege. Done well, it’s also a fair amount of work. I should know. I have served on dozens of nonprofit boards throughout my career and as the president and CEO of the Mental Health Center of Denver, I’m answerable to my own board […]

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Nicholas Thomas

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), individuals with behavioral health needs may die decades earlier than those without, largely due to untreated and preventable physical, chronic illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. Integrating primary and behavioral health care helps people with complex health conditions receive the comprehensive treatment […]

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