Care & Service Delivery Settings

Behavioral health (BH) conditions are rising among older adults, who are less likely to receive mental health (MH) or substance use disorder (SUD) treatment compared to younger adults. This study examined the availability of care for older adults in outpatient BH facilities across the United States both quantitatively and qualitatively.

Children, youth, and families have unique health needs, which set the foundation for health across the life course; chronic conditions now affect nearly one in three U.S. children, with disproportionate prevalence in those enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP.

In the United States, accessing behavioral health care is a persistent and complex challenge, even among those with insurance coverage. Behavioral health care access challenges stem from a combination of provider shortages, systemic barriers, and logistical hurdles. People frequently encounter difficulties determining the type of provider or level of care that best suits their needs.

Congress has directed HHS to operate the Children’s Interagency Coordinating Council (CICC). The CICC is charged with fostering greater coordination and transparency on child policy across federal agencies and examining a broad array of cross-cutting issues affecting child poverty and child well-being.

The U.S. behavioral health (BH) workforce faces significant shortages and distribution disparities, hindering access to quality care and worsening health outcomes. A comprehensive, centralized database of BH providers is vital for advancing patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR), comparative effectiveness research (CER), and evidence-based policymaking.

The goal of this study was to examine the extent to which Medicaid providers who deliver behavioral health services shifted their practices to mostly tele-behavioral health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The recent designation of the three-digit “988” dialing code is intended to improve public awareness of an immediate means to behavioral health crisis services, resulting in both a diversion of behavioral health calls from 911 as well as increased utilization of call services among people in crisis who are not currently getting help.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has recently developed guidelines for establishing a comprehensive crisis response system for behavioral health. Per these guidelines, a comprehensive system should provide individuals in crisis with “someone to call,” “someone to respond,” and “a place to go” to receive crisis response services.

Inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPFs) stabilize patients in a mental health crisis and provide services to patients with serious mental illnesses and those who may cause harm to themselves or others, including people living with dementia who have severe behavioral and psychological symptoms.

Health Information Technology (HIT) was identified as a critical component of the HHS Roadmap for Behavioral Health Integration. To support the implementation of the Roadmap, an ASPE study was conducted to provide an overview of HIT adoption and utilization among behavioral health providers.