May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and the American Hospital Association’s strategic priorities for 2023 include increasing the integration of physical and behavioral health services, encouraging hospital-community partnerships to expand access to behavioral health services, reducing stigma, and preventing suicide and deaths of despair through behavioral health initiatives. The AHA provides a range of resources on these topics, including case studies on integrating physical and behavioral health care, downloadable posters on people-first and culturally aware language, and initiatives to promote the mental health and well-being of the healthcare workforce.
May is recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month in the United States, providing an opportunity to acknowledge the progress made in addressing behavioral health issues and providing quality care. It also highlights the significant work that remains to be done in improving access to quality behavioral health care.
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one in five adults in the United States experiences a mental illness, and one in six youth between the ages of 6 and 17 experiences a mental health disorder. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that nearly one in three young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 experienced a mental, behavioral, or emotional health issue in 2020. Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for people between the ages of 10 and 34.
These statistics are alarming, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated the rates of anxiety, depression, and substance use disorders. As such, behavioral health is one of the American Hospital Association’s (AHA) strategic priorities for 2023, with four primary goals in mind.
The first goal is to increase the integration of physical and behavioral health services, recognizing that mental health care is health care. The second goal is to encourage hospital-community partnerships, which expand access to a continuum of behavioral health services. The third goal is to reduce stigma while addressing the unique challenges of specific age groups, cultures, and other demographics. The fourth and final goal is to prevent suicide and deaths of despair through behavioral health initiatives.
The AHA website provides a wealth of resources on these topics. For example, the mental health and well-being of the healthcare workforce is a particular focus of the AHA. Last year, the AHA partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to release “Suicide Prevention: Evidence-Informed Interventions for the Health Care Workforce.” Since the report’s publication, many hospitals and health systems have participated in a six-month learning collaborative to implement at least one evidence-based intervention in their workplace.
New case studies about Yale New Haven Hospital, the University of Rochester Medical Center, and Baystate Franklin Medical Center demonstrate how integrating physical and behavioral health care benefits patients. Innovative solutions at these hospitals have reduced readmissions and emergency department visits, decreased stigma about treatment, and also demonstrated financial savings.
The “People Matter, Words Matter” series of downloadable posters is another resource available on the AHA website. These posters highlight people-first and culturally aware language for healthcare teams, with a new poster focusing on adolescent mental health.
Through education and advocacy, the AHA is working to support hospitals and health systems in providing access to quality behavioral health care. The goal is to ensure that every individual, whether a patient or provider, can access the care they need to be physically and mentally healthy.
