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Integrating Peer Professionals in Complex Behavioral Health Systems
NYC Health + Hospitals, the nation’s largest municipal health care system and New York City’s largest behavioral health provider, serves individuals with complex behavioral health and social needs including homelessness, justice involvement, and chronic medical conditions. In this landscape,...
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The Value of Being Seen: Acknowledging the Importance of Shared Identities and Lived Experiences
It is a well-known fact that our traditional mental health care system has experienced a strain over the past six years. Not only are there ongoing needs for services across communities, but also an ongoing staffing crisis that impedes the successful delivery of those services. Mental health...
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Behavioral Health News Spotlight on Excellence: An Interview with Mary Brite, COO of Outreach Development Corporation, on Staying Mission-Driven Through Continuous Change
Overview In this interview, Mary Brite, Chief Operating Officer of Outreach Development Corporation, discusses how behavioral health leaders can navigate continuous change by anchoring to mission clarity, building strong organizational structures, and fostering a culture of listening,...
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New York State Must Intervene in the Behavioral Health Crisis
New York State is in the middle of a behavioral health crisis. Suicide rates are up over 40% in the last 20 years. Overdose rates are almost four times higher than they were in 2010. During this crisis, Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) paid by the State are taking hundreds of millions of...
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Workforce Solutions in Behavioral Health: Insights from SMA Healthcare
The Behavioral Healthcare Workforce Crisis The behavioral healthcare sector faces one of the most severe workforce shortages in decades. As of 2023, an estimated 169 million individuals in the U.S. live in Mental Health Professional Shortage Areas, which is projected to worsen by 2037 (National...
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Using NIATx Process Improvement to Enhance Workforce Recruitment, Hiring, Retention & Promotion
Much of the focus on quality improvement in behavioral health is dedicated to “the what,” as it focuses on enhancing the quality of services through the implementation and sustainment of high-fidelity evidence-based practices. But without also focusing on the process, “the how,” the...
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Do Higher Wages, Benefits, and Career Development Reduce Turnover in Behavioral Health?
The sector that is responsible for the care and treatment of individuals with behavioral health conditions is vital. It is directly involved with the patients and their families. Yet, this sector faces an extraordinary problem that is not seen in other healthcare sectors: very high and persistent...
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Strengthening the Behavioral Health Workforce: Leadership Strategies for a System in Transition
Across North America, healthcare executives are facing a reality that can no longer be ignored: the behavioral health care workforce is stretched thin, unevenly distributed, and increasingly overwhelmed by the growing complexity of patient needs. The demands of mental health and addictions care...
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Supporting Supervisors and Mid-Level Leaders in Behavioral Health Organizations
More than five years after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the nation, the behavioral health field continues to undergo profound and lasting shifts. Early in the pandemic, the World Health Organization (2022) reported a global 25 percent increase in anxiety and depressive disorders, a surge that...
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Building the Future: Workforce Innovation in Behavioral Health for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities
As behavioral health needs among individuals with developmental disabilities (DD) become more complex and widespread, the workforce tasked with supporting them is under extraordinary pressure. To ensure quality, continuity, and person-centered care, behavioral health systems must invest in...
