The Association for Behavioral Healthcare (ABH) is dedicated to fostering a more inclusive and equitable environment for our Board of Directors, our members, and their staff. On this page you will find a compilation of ABH-driven information and resources documenting our efforts to challenge racism and discrimination in the behavioral healthcare system. This page will be updated as we continue to grow and evolve in this work.
Placeholder - ABH Anti-Racism and Hate, Racist, and Oppressive Behavior Values Statement
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ABH Commitment to Act to End Racism
On June 5, 2020 ABH shared the following statement with ABH members:
ABH stands with the victims of injustice and violence. We extend our deepest condolences to the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, as well as the many others whose names we know and do not know. We stand united against racism and hate.
The impact of systemic racism on mental health is well-established and we must do better to acknowledge this and incorporate this knowledge into treatment access and delivery.
Internal DEI Committments
- Data Collection. In order to ensure that we are making progress toward broadening the diversity of our leadership, ABH will annually survey our members to ascertain the demographic composition of the ABH Board, Committee Chairs, and ABH Member CEO/ED leadership.
- Board Nomination Policy. The ABH Board of Directors represents all ABH members and is committed to prioritizing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice in ABH activities. The Board has formally adopted a Nominating Committee policy to include language reflecting intentionality relative to the promotion of DEI&J across race, ethnicity, gender, age, identities and experience in nominating individuals for Board membership. The policy was formalized as an amendment to our bylaws on May 11th, 2021.
- Committee Leadership Criteria. Serving as Chair to one of ABH’s 21 Committees is one of the primary ways in which leadership is developed within the association. In order to ensure that we are being intentional about promoting DEI&J, the ABH Board adopted a policy to require “due consideration will be given to the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion across race, ethnicity, gender, age, identities and experience” among the criteria for selection of Committee Chairs.
- Committee Chair Term Limits. In order to afford greater leadership opportunity within ABH, the Board determined that there should be more ongoing opportunities for growth. Where Committee Chair terms are currently undefined, Chair terms will now be defined as two-year terms and Chairs will be limited to three, two-year terms. The role of the Chair will expand to include mentoring future committee leaders.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice Toolkit: Organizational Culture Change
The Association for Behavioral Healthcare (ABH) and Wayside Equity Training Center (WETC) are eager to announce our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice Toolkit: Organizational Culture Change. This toolkit is part of a range of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice (DEI&J) initiatives outlined in the ABH Annual Plan addressing issues of injustice, inequality, and inequity within the behavioral healthcare system. It was created at the urging of DEI&J Committee members, and in particular ABH CEOs, seeking support in responding to growing calls from people across the country, including provider’s own staff and persons served, for stronger action on issues of equity and justice, following the murder of George Floyd on May 25, of 2020.
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This Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Toolkit was commissioned by the Association for Behavioral Healthcare’s Senior Leadership Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEI&J Committee) as we continue our work to achieve equitable access to quality mental health and addiction treatment services for the people and communities of the Commonwealth who face systemic, cultural, ethnic, racial, linguistic, ability, gender, socioeconomic, age, religious, and LGBTQIA+ disparities. Click here for additional information and to access the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice Toolkit. |
Addressing Common Issues for Leaders in Equity Culture Change: Budgeting, Planning and Problem Solving
In addition to the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice Toolkit, WETC has helped ABH develop a guide for members on how to plan for implementation of DEI&J Initiatives. This resource will help members to address the following questions:
- How do I find a consultant?
- What type of equity work is the best fit for my organization and what is an appropriate timeline for what we need?
- How much money should I budget and for what?
- How do I vet consultants?
- What other resources should I line up?
Click here to access Addressing Common Issues for Leaders in Equity Culture Change.
ABH Response to MassHealth Request for Information Regarding Health Equity Incentives for Certain MassHealth Hospital, Managed Care and Related Programs
In November of 2021, MassHealth released a request for information related to the following areas in which MassHealth may take action to reduce inequities in health and health care impacting its members:
1. Enhancing understanding of and attention to inequities through collection of standardized, member-level data on social risk factors, defined as individual-level social attributes or exposures that increase the likelihood of poor health, including race, ethnicity, language, disability status, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity; and
2. Identifying inequities and prioritization for action; and
3. Developing and refining policies to enhance accountability for health equity for MassHealth contracted health system entities including but not limited to MCOs, ACOs, CPs, hospitals, and MassHealth’s managed behavioral health vendor.
Click here to view ABH’s response to this RFI.
Salute to Excellence Advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice Award Winners
ABH's Salute to Excellence is a celebratory day when we recognize individuals and groups who have made outstanding contributions to community-based behavioral healthcare in Massachusetts. The Advancing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice Award recognizes individuals and groups that demonstrate a commitment to advancing the integration and prioritization of diversity, equity, inclusion & justice in their organization and/or in the behavioral healthcare system. We are honored to have been able to recognize the following recipients of this award:
- Naomi Thompson in partnership with the HR Department and Diversity Committee, The Home for Little Wanderers (2023)
- Jade Rivera McFarlin, Gandara Center (2022)
- BAMSI Racial and Social Justice Committee, BAMSI (2021)
Timeline of ABH Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice Activities
December 12, 2023 | Adoption of ABH Anti-Racism, Hate and Oppressive Behavior Values Statement
Upon finalization of ABH’s Anti-Racism, Hate and Oppressive Behavior Values Statement by the Anti-HROB Subcommittee, the ABH Board of Directors unanimously approved the statement for public release.
September 12, 2023 | ABH Presents In-Depth Analysis of Leadership Demographics and Composition Survey Results
At the request of ABH’s Board of Directors, additional analysis was performed on ABH’s 2023 Leadership Demographics and Composition Survey. ABH Staff shared comparative analysis of demographics reporting by leadership category (Board of Directors, ABH CEOs, and ABH Committee Chairs) with the goal of viewing representation of the Board in relation to ABH membership.
May 2023 | ABH 2023 Compensation and Benefits Survey Released for Response
In partnership with Gallagher Surveys, ABH developed and released a compensation and benefits survey that focuses specifically on mental health and substance use disorder providers. The final product included extensive input and guidance from the ABH Human Resources Committee, the ABH Human Resources Salary Survey Subcommittee, and the ABH Senior Leadership Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice. This is the second year of incorporating the collection of position demographic data, but with greater improvements in survey design to further the development of a more comprehensive incumbent demographic report.
March 28, 2023 | Formation of ABH Anti-Hate, Racism and Oppressive Behavior Subcommittee
ABH’s Senior Leadership Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice votes on the formation of the Anti-Hate, Racism and Oppressive Behavior (HROB) Subcommittee that will focus on two tracks 1) Best practice and operations in organizations and 2) Policy development.
November 2022 | Salary Survey Incumbent Demographics Data Collection
Based on feedback from DEI&J Committee, ABH began collecting position demographic data through a third-party vendor as part if its routine Salary Survey.
November 15, 2022 | “Common Issues for Leaders in Equity Culture Change” DEI&J Roundtable
CEOs in behavioral healthcare organizations and DEI&J consultants and professionals talked through the top questions and considerations in creating true system change around equity in their organizations. Members were invited to ask questions and engage in a conversation as we find solutions to equity challenges. This was a great opportunity to hear from CEOs from organizations making strides in diversity, equity, inclusion and justice work.
July 1, 2022 | Appointment of Beverly Williams as Committee Co-Chair
Beverly Williams, Executive Vice President of BAMSI is appointed as Co-Chair of ABH’s Senior Leadership Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice.
June 23, 2022 | Virtual Launch of DEIJ Toolkit
This Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Toolkit was commissioned by the ABH Senior Leadership Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEI&J Committee) as we continue our work to achieve equitable access to quality mental health and addiction treatment services for the people and communities of the Commonwealth who face systemic, cultural, ethnic, racial, linguistic, ability, gender, socioeconomic, age, religious, and LGBTQIA+ disparities.
Wayside Equity Training Center (WETC) helped us to deliver this Toolkit for ABH membership. This Toolkit includes a range of accessible organizational practices and tools to guide members in assessing DEI&J within their own agencies; develop strategies and take action to advance their own organizational goals; and establish processes for continuous evaluation and improvement of chosen DEI&J practices.
Click here to access the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice Toolkit: Organizational Culture Change.
January 2022 | ABH Response to MassHealth Request for Information Regarding Health Equity Incentives for Certain MassHealth Hospital, Managed Care and Related Programs
In November of 2021, MassHealth released a request for information related to the following areas in which MassHealth may take action to reduce inequities in health and health care impacting its members.
Click here to access ABH’s RFI response.
- Board of Directors; and
- Committee Chairs
- Data Collection. In order to ensure that we are making progress toward broadening the diversity of our leadership, ABH will annually survey our members to ascertain the demographic composition of the ABH Board, Committee Chairs, and ABH Member CEO/ED leadership.
- Board Nomination Policy. The Board has formally adopted a Nominating Committee policy to include language reflecting intentionality relative to the promotion of DEI&J across race, ethnicity, gender, age, identities and experience in nominating individuals for Board membership. The policy was proposed for formalization as an amendment to our bylaws.
- Committee Leadership Criteria. Serving as Chair to one of ABH’s 21 Committees is one of the primary ways in which leadership is developed within the association. To ensure we are being intentional about promoting DEI&J, the ABH Board adopted a policy to require “due consideration will be given to the promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion across race, ethnicity, gender, age, identities and experience” among the criteria for selection of Committee Chairs.
- Committee Chair Term Limits. In order to afford greater leadership opportunity within ABH, the Board determined that there should be more ongoing opportunities for growth. Where Committee Chair terms are currently undefined, Chair terms will now be defined as two-year terms and Chairs will be limited to three, two-year terms.
May 25, 2021 | Committee Name Change
Formerly Senior Leadership Committee on Partnering with Underserved Populations, the Committee voted to change the name of this Committee in order for it to be better representative of our mission and goals. It is now the Senior Leadership Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice.
May 11, 2021 | Bylaw Amendment Approved by ABH Membership
During our Annual Meeting on May 11, 2021, ABH voting members voted to approve that the bylaws will reflect amendment in Section 3.1 by adding a new paragraph three: Board nominations shall reflect intentionality relative to the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion across race, ethnicity, gender, age, identities, and experience.
May 11, 2021 | ABH Policy Forum “Data and Beyond: Health Equity in Behavioral Health Services”
Through the work of our Senior Leadership Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice, ABH presented our annual policy event with the theme, Data and Beyond: Health Equity in Behavioral Health Services.
We were joined by an expert from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts with a presentation that gave a macro overview of behavioral health policy, leveraging the Foundation’s publication, Racism and Racial Inequities in Health: A Data-Informed Primer on Health Disparities in Massachusetts. Attendees heard about Massachusetts data that revealed deep and pervasive health inequities and disparities - including for behavioral health - experienced by racial and ethnic groups in the Commonwealth today.
This presentation was followed by two reactor panels moderated by Beverly Williams, Executive Vice President of BAMSI and member of ABH's Senior Leadership Committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice. Panels were comprised of representatives from Families- and Persons-Served, and key thought leaders from the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and their Departments.
April 13, 2021 | Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice in Governance
In April 2021, ABH formally committed to advancing equity within our own leadership and governance structures, including:
The ABH Board of Directors formed a subcommittee to make recommendations on incorporating DEI&J principles into our governance structure. The Board subcommittee was comprised of our Officers and our two co-chairs of the (formerly) Partnering with Underserved Populations Leadership Committee. These conversations resulted in a number of recommendations to the Board that were adopted during our April, 2021 Board meeting. These recommendations included:
November 30, 2020 | ABH Board Listening Session
On behalf of our (formerly) Senior Leadership Committee on Partnering with Underserved Populations, ABH invited our Board of Directors to a listening session featuring two panels of individuals who identify as persons of color: a panel of ABH member staff, and a panel of individuals served. Panelists spoke to their respective experiences in the behavioral healthcare system as persons of color. Our intention was for Directors to participate by listening actively and reflecting on the experiences that were shared and to draw upon these reflections as ABH works to improve its policies and strategies to foster Diversity, Equity and Inclusion within our leadership structures and as a policy focus.
June 5, 2020 | ABH Commitment to Act to End Racism
Following the murder of George Floyd, ABH released a statement to members stating our commitment to bring about meaningful change related to diversity, equity, inclusion & justice. The full statement can be seen here.
November 27, 2018 | First Senior Leadership Committee on Partnering with Underserved Populations
From this first meeting of the Senior Leadership Committee on Partnering with Underserved Populations, the group agreed to focus efforts on upcoming service redesigns. ABH committed to having DEI&J as a standing agenda item for every ABH Committee.
October 30, 2018 | Advocacy Relative to the Impact of the Public Charge Rule
The Committee collaborated with the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute, Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA), Health Care For All and Health Law Advocates to advocate relative to the impact of the public charge rule published on October 10th, 2018 by the Trump administration.
September 11, 2018 | Formation of CEO-Level Committee
Recognizing that in order to truly affect systemic change, the Partnering With Underserved Populations (PWUP) leadership with ABH leadership determined that ABH needs to advocate with state agencies and other payers about issues impacting underserved populations and has moved to create a CEO-level PWUP Committee to meet on a quarterly basis to help determine what policies ABH should purse relating to serving underserved populations as part of ABH’s broader advocacy agenda.
February 13, 2018 | ABH Association Meeting with a Focus on Cultural Competency
ABH hosted an Association Meeting for CEOs and Senior Leaders with Dr. Kenneth V. Hardy, an internationally recognized clinician, author, and trainer specializing in trauma-based, culturally competent care, followed by a panel discussion with MassHealth payers, practitioners, and consumers who made the case for infusing cultural competency into both your organization’s culture and into the care ABH member organizations provide to individuals children and families.
September 11, 2017 | Formation of First DEI&J Subcommittees
ABH established our first subcommittees on 1) Defining Diversity and Inclusion and 2) ABH Member Event on Diversity.
June, 17 | First ABH Survey on Diverstiy and Inclusion
Developed in partnership with the Committee, ABH’s first Survey on Diversity and Inclusion was sent to the ABH membership. We received 270 responses. Survey findings showed a perceived divergence between mission statements and clinical practice, and broad-based lack of collection and use of RELD data to inform programs.
November, 2016 | Standing Current Events Discussion Item
The ABH Cultural Competence Committee added the discussion of Current Events to the regular meeting agenda, inspired by significant movements in Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests. In August of 2016, several professional athletes began participating in National Anthem Protests, beginning with Colin Kaepernick in the National Football League. In September BLM protested the shooting deaths by police officers of Terence Crutcher (Tulsa, Oklahoma) and Keith Lamont Scott (Charlotte, North Carolina).
July, 2016 | Formation of the ABH Cultural Competence Committee
ABH’s first Committee was led by Henry East-Trou, Vic DiGravio, and Emily Stewart in July of 2016. The Committee has been called the Cultural Competence Committee, the Marginalized Populations Committee, and the Partnering with Underserved Communities Committee (first name chosen by the members of the committee).
2016 | Equity Language in 1115 Waiver
ABH leaders advocated for equity response in the Commonwealth’s Section 1115 Medicaid Demonstration.
2016 | Advocacy for Improvements to Address Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Behavioral Health
ABH leaders advocated for improvements to address racial and ethnic disparities in mental health and addictions treatment in the Special Commission to Investigate and Study State Licensed Addiction Treatment Centers.
November 10, 2015 | First ABH Meeting on Addressing Health Disparities
Emily Stewart of Casa Esperanza and Henry East Trou, then head of Gandara, led ABH meeting to discuss leveraging ABH’s advocacy capacity to address health disparities and the needs of vulnerable populations relative to the formation of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) in the 1115 Waiver and addressing the need for treatment for individuals experiencing co-occurring substance user disorder (SUD) and serious mental illness (SMI).
