People seeking mental health care, especially those in underserved communities, can have difficulty accessing care or receiving the most effective treatments. Organizations may adopt new practices with the goal of improving care but often encounter barriers that complicate successful implementation. Organizations might deem that a practice “doesn’t work” when a lack of success could be the result of these barriers.

In October 2024, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) established the new Center for Mental Health Implementation Support (CMHIS) to provide support for the sustained implementation of effective mental health treatments. CMHIS efforts will focus primarily on grantees funded by SAMHSA’s Center for Mental Health Services and other organizations that oversee or directly provide mental health services. The target audiences include mental health system leaders and administrators; organizational directors; staff responsible for leading implementing mental health programs and practices; policymakers and funders; and training and technical assistance providers. 

CMHIS is based in the Department of Psychiatry at Stanford University. Five bi-regional Hubs help improve the delivery of mental health care by supporting organizations in preparing, implementing, and sustaining effective programs and services, while also addressing obstacles. CMHIS and its Hubs provide tangible and practical mental health implementation support through resource dissemination and intensive strategies such as consultation, learning collaboratives, and coaching/facilitation. 

The Pacific West Hub is housed here in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and supports Health and Human Services regions 9 and 10. Pacific West Hub faculty and staff include Akansha Vaswani-Bye, PhD, David Katz, PhD, MPH, Olga Vitruk, MPH, Lydia Chwastiak, MD, MPH, Christina Clayton, MSW, Payton Messersmith, and Gabrielle Orsi, PhD. 

Visit the CMHIS website and create an account to subscribe to national communications and your choice of bi-regional announcements, communications, events, and resources — and please consider sharing news of this launch with your contacts!