<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Association for Behavioral Healthcare]]></title><description><![CDATA[Association for Behavioral Healthcare]]></description><link>https://www.abhmass.org/news</link><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Tue, 26 May 2026 20:28:39 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.abhmass.org/vi/blog-feed.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Mass. bottleneck for mental health patients in ERs shrinks, but problems persist]]></title><description><![CDATA[More than one-third of people who went to the emergency room for mental health conditions in 2024 spent 12 hours or more waiting for treatment, per a new report . Why it matters: These patients wait on average more than a day for inpatient beds or other treatment in Massachusetts, among the longest wait times in the nation. Any wait longer than 12 hours is referred to as boarding. Driving the news: 37.5% of patients who went to the emergency room for mental health issues in 2024 were boarded,...]]></description><link>https://www.abhmass.org/post/mass-bottleneck-for-mental-health-patients-in-ers-shrinks-but-problems-persist</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d52e3fb384ec758521ca09</guid><pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2026 16:18:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ec6da8_6bd13bb4773247bf9cbd19e7b496d75d~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_488,h_421,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>bmellen2</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Commentary: Health plans need to cover broader behavioral health services]]></title><description><![CDATA[Massachusetts took another bold step forward as a leader in health care in 2023 when it launched a network of community behavioral health centers across the commonwealth. As part of the state’s visionary Roadmap for Behavioral Health Reform , these centers are transforming the response to mental health and substance use needs for people of all ages and walks of life. The 31 community behavioral health centers , or CBHCs, offer urgent behavioral health care, same-day evaluations and referrals,...]]></description><link>https://www.abhmass.org/post/commentary-health-plans-need-to-cover-broader-behavioral-health-services</link><guid isPermaLink="false">69d5305bfc74251ed3c35748</guid><pubDate>Fri, 15 Aug 2025 04:00:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ec6da8_732e23e0ee564d718c2d43917b4a3f63~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>bmellen2</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Rates bill seen as "now or never" lifeline for mental health centers]]></title><description><![CDATA[Advocates lobbied Thursday for legislation to boost MassHealth reimbursement rates and buoy menta l health centers, some of which they said are facing "now-or-never" decisions on whether to keep their doors open. The proposal would be a boon to the more than 400 mental health centers around Massachusetts, which are looking at big deficits and workforce shortages, Association for Behavioral Healthcare CEO Lydia Conley said ahead of the briefing. "We're hearing from some of our members that the...]]></description><link>https://www.abhmass.org/post/mhcs-receive-75m-in-grant-funding</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67ffc0c7fa00f38a4961e681</guid><pubDate>Wed, 16 Apr 2025 14:38:52 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ec6da8_d30a6c45461f40abb9e32dbfb350dab6~mv2.png/v1/fit/w_1000,h_473,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>bmellen2</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[Mass. wants to transform rural health care. But it needs the feds to help fund it]]></title><description><![CDATA[In about six weeks,  all 50 states  expect to learn whether they’ll receive part of a $50 billion federal fund for rural health care. The money, from the Rural Health Transformation Program, was set aside by Congress to help prevent hospital closures as Medicaid cuts take effect. Massachusetts has requested $1 billion from the fund to expand telehealth and home-based care, shore up the rural health care workforce and fund hospital, nursing home and clinic renovations. “We’re thinking of a...]]></description><link>https://www.abhmass.org/post/masshealth-raises-rates-by-245</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67ffc065e46f4feb3ff2b1e9</guid><pubDate>Wed, 16 Apr 2025 14:36:29 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/ec6da8_6fd0313086324a79bba78870893f8ee8~mv2.jpg/v1/fit/w_1000,h_1000,al_c,q_80/file.png" length="0" type="image/png"/><dc:creator>bmellen2</dc:creator></item><item><title><![CDATA[ABH Outpatient Issue Brief Coverage]]></title><description><![CDATA[We have been hearing from you about committed, qualified staff who are unable to stay in the field, primarily because of inadequate compensation and unsustainable pressures. Our Outpatient Access Issue Brief validated the alarming experience that members have been relaying – more clinicians are leaving clinics than coming in to be trained. The brief not only shed public light on exacerbated longstanding workforce challenges that threaten the entire BH system, but also made solution-oriented...]]></description><link>https://www.abhmass.org/post/rates-bill-seen-as-now-or-never-lifeline-for-mental-health-centers</link><guid isPermaLink="false">67ffbe0588812553eecb49ff</guid><pubDate>Wed, 16 Apr 2025 14:26:19 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtIZZs-GAOA&amp;t=1319s" length="0" type="video"/><dc:creator>bmellen2</dc:creator></item></channel></rss>