Association for Behavioral Healthcare

04/13/2026

Boarding of patients with mental health conditions in hospital emergency departments remains a vexing problem, as The Boston Globe has recently reported. In a letter to the editor published by the Globe, ABH President and CEO Lydia Conley notes that greater state investment in mental health clinics to treat issues before they become acute, as well as broadened insurance coverage for Community Behavioral Health Centers can drive down boarding and help patients get discharged from the hospital sooner. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2026/04/10/opinion/letters-mental-health-community-care-centers/ (paywalled)

Community behavioral health centers are a vital part of the state’s behavioral health road map.

04/06/2026

ABH President and CEO Lydia Conley speaks to the work Community Behavioral Health Centers have done to lower the number of people boarding at hospital emergency departments as they await treatment, in Axios Boston: https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/04/02/massachusetts-mental-health-emergency-boarding?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter_axioslocal_boston&stream=top.

ER patients seeking mental health treatment on average spent well over a day waiting for inpatient beds.

03/31/2026

Civil War nurse Dorothea Dix championed mental health reform in the 1800s during a time when mental illness was treated as a crime. She successfully advocated for state funds for treatment facilities.

03/26/2026

“At the same time, we’re seeing overdose death rates go down, those programs that contributed to that decrease, they’re threatened,” said [Regina] LaBelle, now a professor at the Georgetown University School of Health. “People are getting very nervous and perhaps not funding things they otherwise would to save lives”: https://www.wbur.org/news/2026/03/03/federal-funding-cuts-massaschusetts-health-centers-clinics-fear.

A change in federal grant rules has added new uncertainty about what services might trigger a grant cancellation notice. Employees don’t know what further precautions to take. Administrators are afraid to speak out.

03/24/2026

Margaret Floy Washburn was the first woman in the U.S. to earn a PhD in psychology. This feat marks a major milestone for women and advancements within the sector.

03/17/2026

Congratulations to Carmel Craig, Vice President for Mental Health Services at ABH, for her appointment to the Mass. Special Commission on Access to Behavioral Health Services for Children and Families! She will represent ABH on the Commission, studying and proposing recommendations to improve access to behavioral health services for children and families across the Commonwealth.

03/16/2026

Access to nourishing foods directly impacts behavioral health. Many low-income individuals can’t afford healthy foods, leaving them more susceptible to behavioral health issues.

03/06/2026

Chuck Ingoglia, National Council for Mental Wellbeing President and CEO, champions the Ensuring Excellence in Mental Health Act in a recent opinion piece in The Hill.

The Act would increase access to Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics throughout the country, a proven model used in Mass. to provide accessible, 24/7 mental health and substance use disorder care:
https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/5675870-improving-access-mental-health/.

A bipartisan coalition of senators has introduced the Ensuring Excellence in Mental Health Act, which would expand Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) to provide comprehensive, 2…

03/03/2026

“Too often, we hear these [direct care] professionals tell us that while they are dedicated to those they serve and that their work is crucial, they have no choice but to leave for far less demanding roles at a big box store or in fast food, which also pay more. With every departure, it makes it harder for our agencies to meet their mission.”

Read more in a Boston Business Journal op-ed by James Cassetta, President of WORK Inc., and Kevin Martone, President and CEO of Bay Cove Human Services: https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2026/01/23/cuts-to-human-services-create-unacceptable-risk.html (paywalled).

Two Massachusetts human services leaders warn workforce shortages and low wages threaten programs for vulnerable residents amid state budget pressures.

02/26/2026

Paul Bertau Cornely was the first Black American elected as President of the American Public Health Association. He was a founder of the National Student Health Association, President of the Physician’s Forum, and founder/first president of the District of Columbia Public Health Association.

Dr. Cornely dedicated his life’s work to developing public health initiatives to reduce disparities in healthcare for underserved communities.

02/18/2026

Psychologists Mamie Phipps Clark and Kenneth Bancroft Clark’s invaluable research advanced the Civil Rights movement. Their research demonstrated the psychological harms of school segregation and was used as evidence in the supreme court case Brown vs. The Board of Education.

The Clarks were the first Black Americans to obtain doctoral degrees in psychology from Columbia University.

02/11/2026

Follow along during as we spotlight Black American pioneers in the behavioral health sector, beginning with Bebe Moore Campbell.

Campbell was a mental health advocate, author, journalist and teacher. Her advocacy shed light on the unique behavioral health needs and experiences of the Black community and other marginalized populations.