Archive

In 1926, historian Carter G. Woodson, co-founder of what’s now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), declared the second week of February “Negro History Week.” Fifty years later, President Gerald Ford extended...

An essential part of living a full life is addressing a person’s whole health care needs. The Egyptian Health Department, a mental health and substance use treatment provider in Fairfield, Ill., has been doing that and more since 1952. We...

Demand for mental health and substance use treatment has reached historic levels. But a massive workforce shortage hinders the ability of communities to provide care. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) estimated...

COVID-19 fundamentally reshaped the way SERV Behavioral Health System, Inc. (SERV) considers hiring and retention. Widespread staff turnover and burnout brought longstanding challenges with workforce maintenance to a head. We were tasked with identifying, designing and implementing mitigation strategies to...

For many people, accessing mental health and substance use care remains a struggle. That’s especially true for individuals who also live with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Boundless, a National Council member and whole-person care provider in Ohio, is doing...

New survey commissioned by Mental Health First Aid USA® (MHFA) finds student mental health is No. 1 concern for school board members A strong education is essential to a student’s success and wellbeing. Reading, writing and arithmetic should always form the core...

Washington’s political theater in the early days of 2023 has already received a lot of attention. But the legislative achievements in December, as the curtain began to close on 117th Congress, stole the show. Advocates for those who provide mental...

For the third in our Partner Perspectives series, we sat down with Relias — a National Council Platinum Partner — to learn more about their work, the future of the field and lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Relias helps...

The launch of the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline) in July 2022 was a historic moment in the story of mental health and substance use care services in our nation. Now anyone,...

The Invisible Foe For community mental health centers, the COVID-19 global pandemic has meant an “all-hands-on-deck” joining of forces to meet the needs of the community. Because of the increased demand for services, heightened workloads and the adoption of telehealth...

It’s time to make a difference. The last few days of the current session of the 117th Congress provide opportunities to help people living with substance use and mental health challenges and support the organizations and care providers on the...

The kids aren’t alright. People with mental health challenges face an overwhelmed and under-resourced health care system. Those issues are worse for young people in need of care. A recent report issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...