If behavioral health leaders had $100 million, they would focus on youth, older adults and improving the treatment system.
Becker’s connected with six leaders to learn where they would invest first.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Question: If you were handed $100 million earmarked for behavioral health, where would you invest it first?
Ruby Mehta. Head of Behavioral Health at Cityblock Health (New York City): I would invest the money towards improved training for therapists on effective short-term therapies and for primary care physicians on prescribing psychiatric medications for mild to moderate conditions. Social work school only skims the surface on evidence-based therapies, so the degree of training among therapists varies greatly. Since mental health treatment can be expensive, and the supply of mental health professionals is limited, we need to make sure any treatment provided is as effective as possible!
Robert Trestman, PhD, MD. Chair of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine at Carilion Clinic and Virginia Tech School of Medicine (Roanoke): If given freedom to invest the $100M, I would focus on designing, piloting, and implementing a sustainable model for the future of psychiatric care. The current system is broken. We need to: 1. build a national database on treatment outcomes of care; 2. define which individuals can and should be seen in primary care and/or receive psychotherapy from a therapist or psychologist; 3. define appropriate patients to be seen and managed by NPs and PAs with clear criteria for referral to psychiatrists; 3. clarify the professional identity of psychiatrists as physicians who are uniquely trained to care for people living with complex, severe, and/or medically co-morbid illnesses; and 4. define appropriate funding mechanisms to allow for this redesign to work.
Arpan Waghary, MD. CEO, Providence’s Well Being Trust (Renton, Wash.): Nearly a decade ago, Providence St. Joseph Health made a commitment to be a catalyst for expanding access and improving mental health care in the United States and invested $100 million to establish Providence’s Well Being Trust, a foundation dedicated to advancing the mental, social, and spiritual health for all — especially the poor and vulnerable and those most marginalized in society.
Our approach is guided by three core principles:
- Transform care delivery; advance innovative solutions: We’ve committed to identifying the greatest needs our communities in partnership with our frontline caregivers and the patients and families we are privileged to serve. Although our work often starts locally, our goal has always been to scale these programs nationally beyond the Providence seven-state footprint and partner with like-minded organizations to drive lasting change to improve mental health outcomes for all.
- Focus on high-impact, sustainable solutions: Given the considerable gap between needs and resource availability, we prioritize investments that are scalable and result in expanding sustainable access to quality mental health care. Our aim is to create lasting change and meet the most critical needs of our communities.
- Support the full mental health journey: Our investments target every stage of mental health care, from prevention and early intervention to crisis stabilization and recovery. Examples of initiatives we’ve funded include: expanding behavioral health access in primary care clinics; improving depression screening and treatment; increasing school-based mental health services; supporting the health care workforce’s mental health; and advancing maternal mental health.
Providence’s Well Being Trust has built more than 48 sustainable community partnerships, including seven school-based initiatives, impacting hundreds of thousands of lives across our seven-state footprint. And we are also developing innovative mental health and wellness services and digital solutions and sharing proof points showing what works to create deep, measurable improvements in the mental health and well-being of the people we are so privileged to serve.
Stephanie Weatherly, DNP. Chief Clinical Officer at Psychiatric Medical Care (Brentwood, Tenn.): I would invest in older adult mental health programs, which are crucial as this population faces unique challenges like isolation, loss, and chronic illness. These factors are significantly impacting the quality of life for millions of seniors. Addressing mental health in later years not only improves overall well-being but also reduces hospitalizations and healthcare costs, supporting aging with dignity and independence. As the senior population grows, so does the urgency to provide compassionate, comprehensive care.
Jason Williams, PsyD. Senior Vice President, Chief Mental & Behavioral Health Officer at Arkansas Children’s Hospital (Little Rock): If I had a $100 million to spend on mental health for kids and their families, I would use it to create a transformational shift in how we approach mental healthcare, focusing on early intervention, integrated care models and leveraging technology. These would include behavioral health integration in medical, school and community-based settings. We need to move away from our traditional ways of providing care through fragmented channels and outdated workforce models, so we can create systems of care that are whole-person focused. We would need to rethink the workforce to address access, investing in new opportunities for peer support programs, new pathway programs and incentives for those already in training. I would create an innovation center to help promote and disseminate emerging technologies, such as virtual reality, chatbots and apps, ensuring that the technology would serve as an extension of the system of care and not act as a replacement to the human connection. Additionally, there would be an emphasis on strengthening families, promoting school connectedness and community input to assist in building access to relevant services, as well as ways to continue to reduce stigma. Importantly, a key component of this work would be to be sure that young people are at the table to guide the design and evaluation of any new programs or technologies.
Dawn Zieger. Vice President, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health at Geisinger (Danville, Pa.): I would invest in behavioral health services to support youth and young adults in underserved areas. I’d focus on programs for those most at risk with the greatest potential for lifetime improvement. Examples would be programs addressing trauma, neurodevelopmental disorders, early treatment for psychosis and youth programs for substance use disorder. With earlier intervention, we can help individuals have a successful life, contributing their gifts and abilities to society.
