The Association for Behavioral Healthcare (ABH) represents more than 80 community-based mental health and addiction treatment provider organizations across Massachusetts. All of our members are corporations per Massachusetts General Law and are overseen by boards of directors composed of citizens, professionals, and decision-makers dedicated to the highest management standards and sound policy decisions in the communities they serve. Our members are the primary providers of publicly-funded behavioral healthcare services in the Commonwealth, serving approximately 81,000 Massachusetts residents daily, 1.5 million residents annually, and employing over 46,500 people.

ABH’s mission is to promote community-based mental health and addiction treatment services as the most beneficial, clinically-effective, and cost-sensitive vehicle for providing care to individuals in need. Accordingly, ABH advocates for prudent public policy and adequate funding for behavioral healthcare and works with leaders at the state and national levels to advance these goals.

WHY SHOULD I JOIN?

ABH is a forum for the exchange of information and ideas.

ABH is a powerful and compelling advocate for increased access to community-based behavioral healthcare across Massachusetts. We represent our members in legislative matters at the state and national levels, sponsor training programs, and provide access to committee, association and task force meetings that help our members expand their professional knowledge and build relationships.

ABH and Its Members Shared Values

Together, we are working to ensure that citizens throughout the Commonwealth have access to quality, comprehensive community-based care.

• Promoting the philosophy of recovery.
• Endorsing family and consumer involvement in system and program development, as well as service delivery.
• Supporting education, research and evaluation, technical assistance, and professionalism.
• Providing leadership in the development and implementation of electronic health records, performance improvement, and outcome-oriented services.
• Fostering the development of products and services that provide operational and cost-saving benefits to members.
• Advancing the improvement of provider business and service delivery practices, as well as corporate compliance.
• Promoting the competitive position of behavioral health providers in the health care marketplace.

ABH and Its Members Make A Difference!

Together, we impact mental health and addiction prevention and treatment public policy by ensuring that our voices are heard at every level of government.

• Monitoring legislation and the state and national budget development process, alerting members when action is needed.
• Advocating for fair funding and sensible public policy before the executive, legislative and judicial branches of state government.
• Testifying on important legislation, regulatory proposals and other legislative matters.
• Working to ensure that our communications deliver broad and significant impact with the media, legislature, and the general public.
• Collaborating with other advocacy groups and constituents to promote our policy agenda.
• Ultimately, ABH works to ensure that our members are positioned as mainstream health care services in any state or national health care system reforms.

ABH represents community-based provider organizations with health plans, insurers and managed behavioral health organizations, in both the public and commercial spaces

• Providing leadership in advancing new delivery models.
• Collaborating with health plans to maximize the use of cost-effective, community-based care.
• Working to reduce onerous administrative processes that impede access to quality care.

All ABH members are also members of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing.