The Power of Advocacy

In this episode, Chuck Ingoglia, President and CEO at National Council for Mental Wellbeing joins Kevin Scalia, Executive Vice President at Netsmart, to discuss the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act recently passed by Congress that provides funding for the expansion of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs).Join them as they discuss how this Act came to be and how the efforts over the past decade demonstrate the importance of advocacy.

When it comes to advocacy, even one person’s voice can make a difference. From letters and phone calls to Congressional home district visits and Hill Days, building relationships with members of Congress is key to driving change. In the case of CCBHCs, the collaboration and consistent efforts of individuals and organizations across the human services community led to the passage of this much-needed legislation. Even though this Act provides the most funding for mental health in 60 years, it still falls short of what is truly needed to support the increase in demand for mental health services. The work that has been done on CCBHCs is just the beginning.

Join us to hear their experiences as they discuss:

• What it took to get this CCBHC legislation passed
• The importance of the Behavioral Health IT Coalition and Hill Day within advocacy efforts
• What the hope is for the future of mental health

Online resources:

• National Council for Mental Wellbeing analysis of Bipartisan Safer Communities Act
• National Council for Mental Wellbeing CCBHC Impact Report – May 2021
• Netsmart summary of Healthcare Legislative Advocacy | Netsmart (ntst.com)
• Speak with a Netsmart CCBHC Specialist

If you want to hear more episodes like this one, look for the Netsmart CareThreads podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher.