Behavioral Health
NASHP and States Develop National Care Coordination Standards for Children with Special Health Care Needs
Care coordination has long been a core component of state efforts to improve health outcomes, reduce caregiver and patient burden, decrease health care costs, and strengthen systems of care for children and adults with chronic and complex conditions. The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), with support from the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s […]
Read More
NASHP Explores the Behavioral Health Workforce Shortage at #NASHPCONF and in a 50-State Scan
A growing shortage of behavioral health workers persists across the country, posing a significant obstacle for states working to address the opioid crisis and other substance use disorders (SUDs). The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) has recently completed a 50-state scan to identify the full range of strategies states are using to expand […]
Read More
States May Soon Have to Provide Medication-Assisted Treatment to Inmates, Here’s How to Fund It
State policymakers on the frontlines of the opioid epidemic understand that treating justice-involved individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) offers a critical opportunity to expand access to treatment. While there is strong evidence that medication-assisted treatment (MAT) promotes recovery, saves lives, and reduces re-incarceration, states must surmount significant policy and financial challenges to provide MAT […]
Read More
How to Build the Wright Stuff: Behavioral Health Integration
Thursday, August 22, 3:30 pm – 5 pm Integration of primary care and behavioral health is a cornerstone of state innovations to improve quality of care and health outcomes, and reduce health care costs for children and adults with behavioral health needs. What are some of the innovative strategies that states are using to integrate […]
Read More
Meeting the Behavioral Health Needs of Diverse Populations
Thursday, August 22, 10 am – 11:30 am This session explores and showcases innovative state workforce approaches to meeting the needs and understanding the lived experiences of individuals with behavioral health needs, particularly racial and ethnic minority populations. In addition to sharing the latest research on racial and ethnic disparities in mental health conditions and […]
Read More

Tackling the Opioid Crisis: What State Strategies Are Working?
Among the many issues confronting new state governors and their administrations, the opioid crisis may be one of the most urgent and complex, and may leave the most devastating legacy. Opioids kill 130 Americans every day. For state policy makers, the ripple effect of the crisis reaches beyond health care systems to impact public safety […]
Read More
Fact and Figures: How Medicaid Covers Behavioral Health Treatment in Children
Medicaid pays a large share of treatment costs for children with behavioral health conditions. In 2011, more than 4 million children enrolled in Medicaid had a diagnosed behavioral health condition. The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) has developed an informational fact sheet summarizing Medicaid provisions that cover behavioral health treatment for children. The […]
Read More

NASHP’s State SUD Policy Institute Supports States to Address SUD in Federally Qualified Health Centers
NASHP congratulates the five states selected to participate in NASHP’s State Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Policy Institute: Alabama Illinois South Dakota Virginia Wisconsin The State SUD Policy Institute, supported by a cooperative agreement with the Health Resources and Services Administration, will assist these five state teams to develop innovative strategies to increase access to and […]
Read More

Ohio Implements Value-Based Payment Reform to Improve Population Health
Greg Moody, director of Ohio’s Office of Health Transformation, has quietly spearheaded one of the most effective redesigns of a state health care payment system in the country, generating cost savings and improving public health by showing providers how the cost and quality of their care compares with their peers. This value-based cost-savings and quality improvement […]
Read More
Surgeon General Jerome Adams Discusses Opioids and the Importance of Partnerships at NASHPCONF17
View the Surgeon General’s full remarks here US Surgeon General, Vice Admiral Jerome Adams, MD, whose motto is “better health through better partnerships,” spoke at NASHP’s 30th annual State Health Policy Conference. It was a familiar venue for Adams, who as Indiana state health commissioner has attended NASHP conferences in the past and is a former […]
Read More