As care demands and workforce pressures continue to rise, providers are working to develop new ways to leverage technology, workforce strategies and evidence-based models in order to be sustainable.
Becker’s spoke with Becky Stoll, senior vice president of crisis services at Nashville, Tenn.-based Centerstone, about the organization’s strategy to expand integrated care through Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics, leverage AI-powered clinical tools and strengthen workforce well-being amid industry-wide burnout. Ms. Stoll also shared how Centerstone’s national partnerships are reaching underserved populations such as veterans, who historically have faced barriers to care.
From your perspective, what’s the most pressing challenge or opportunity shaping behavioral health today — and how is your organization responding?
Becky Stoll: One of the most pressing challenges shaping behavioral health today is ensuring access to high-quality, integrated care for everyone who needs it, especially in the face of rising demand and workforce shortages. At Centerstone, we’re responding by expanding innovative partnerships, leveraging new technologies and scaling evidence-based practices through models like the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic. These clinics allow us to deliver comprehensive, coordinated care, including behavioral, physical, addiction services and crisis intervention, all while reaching more people efficiently and effectively. By combining innovation with whole-person care, we can provide hope and healing to those in our communities every day.
In the area of behavioral health crisis services, a major challenge is not all communities have access to a full continuum of these services. With the success of the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, it is imperative that there are other crisis services to support the needs of those whose situation cannot be handled via a call, chat or text. There is great opportunity, in many states, to develop a plan for implementing the full crisis services continuum especially with the success of the CCBHC model.
How do you define innovation in behavioral health, and what’s one example of how you or your team are bringing that to life?
BS: Centerstone defines innovation in behavioral health as the pursuit of smarter, more effective ways to improve care quality and access plus providing unique ways of training providers and using quality monitoring tools to enhance staff confidence, competence and skills. One example is our partnerships with Eleos Health and Lyssn, which leverage artificial intelligence to support clinical documentation, provide insights that strengthen therapeutic effectiveness, and give clinicians more time to focus on their clients.
In our crisis services continuum, we have also deployed different innovative technologies. In partnership with ReflexAI, we are providing Crisis Call Center staff with tailored simulation training to address difficult scenarios they identify and through our use of Zoom, we use quality monitoring and staff management tools. We are also exploring the use of a VR tool that could be used with individuals in crisis and with staff. These innovations help us deliver care that’s not only evidence-based but also deeply personal, ensuring that hope and healing remain at the heart of everything we do.
Behavioral health workforce shortages and burnout remain major concerns across the industry. What’s one approach or mindset that’s helping your organization better support clinicians and staff?
BS: Centerstone’s primary goal in reducing burnout is to make hard work easier for staff by leveraging innovative technology, such as AI-driven notetaking software, advancing strategies that build psychological safety between staff and leaders, implementing programs that recognize and celebrate staff members and their achievements, provide dedicated support to new hires as they onboard, and highlighting the impact of our clinicians’ work through measurable clinical outcomes with clients. Each of these strategies aims to enhance workforce wellness and guard against burnout amongst staff.
Addressing the issue of the workforce shortage in behavioral health is complex. We know there is not a singular strategy that will solve this issue, but instead multiple strategies. We must make those in educational settings more aware of potential careers in the behavioral health field, which can be done by taking opportunities to educate students about the field, accepting interns, providing supervision for licensure and providing staff with career paths. In our Florida inpatient facility, we operate a psychiatric residency program and hope to expand that to our other states. We have also partnered with the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Use Services to pay retention bonuses to our behavioral health staff and to educate staff on the availability of funds to finance graduate school for those seeking higher degrees in the field.
Equity and access are constant challenges. What’s one initiative or partnership that’s helping you reach populations that have traditionally been underserved or overlooked?
BS: One initiative that has significantly expanded Centerstone’s reach to a population that has traditionally been underserved or overlooked is Centerstone’s Military Services. This arm of Centerstone has partnerships with organizations such as Wounded Warrior Project, Cohen Veterans Network and USAA’s Face The Fight Coalition. Through these collaborations, our organization can better connect with veterans and their families, which allows us to provide access to critical mental health and support services. These partnerships allow us to reach individuals and families in need of services virtually anywhere in the U.S., and internationally, ensuring that geography is no longer a barrier to receiving care.
Looking ahead, what gives you the most hope about the future of behavioral healthcare?
BS: We’re witnessing remarkable progress in behavioral health, from the destigmatization of care and bipartisan support for access, to promising innovations in how services are delivered. Behavioral healthcare is now more deeply rooted in science and delivered to a higher degree of fidelity than ever before. As we continue providing hope and healing to communities while embracing whole-person, integrated care, it’s inspiring to see organizations scale with purpose and grow large enough to truly make an impact. The care we provide tomorrow will be even better than the care we deliver today.
