State policymakers nationwide are exploring how to reform public behavioral health systems in response to high overdose rates, suicide, and increasing homelessness among people with mental health and substance use disorders. Medicaid members, in particular, often face significant challenges in accessing equitable care. Despite these urgent challenges, current state efforts to improve behavioral health services often overlook the importance of engaging people who are directly impacted.

Involving individuals with lived experience in policy and program development allows states to hear directly from community members about their interactions with the behavioral health system, increasing the likelihood that proposed solutions will meet their needs. Recent state and federal efforts, including the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ requirements for new Medicaid member advisory bodies, highlight the importance of including these voices in policy and program development.

This new brief from the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) makes the case for engaging people with lived experience in state policy and program discussions about behavioral health reform. It outlines strategies to secure leadership buy-in for community engagement and shares tips to address common concerns regarding engagement. The brief is a product of the Supporting State Behavioral Health Systems Transformation initiative. Through this initiative, CHCS and consultants with lived experience of behavioral health conditions and expertise in behavioral health systems are developing resources to help state officials engage more effectively with community members to support meaningful behavioral health reform.