Seeking Equity for the MA Behavioral Health Help Line

The team from the Behavioral Health Helpline (BHHL) recently reached out to NAMI affiliates seeking representatives willing to join the Massachusetts BHHL Advisory Council & Community Collaboratives. There are five committees across the state coinciding with regions defined by the Department of Mental Health. A document outlined the goals of the group: “The purpose of the BHHL Advisory Council is to ensure that the BHHL is not only available to every person in the Commonwealth, but that it is truly accessible to and equitable for every person. . .  The Council’s feedback will help identify potential barriers and solutions to effective, equitable program implementation that responds to longstanding and emerging behavioral health needs in Massachusetts.”

NAMI Central Middlesex will send a representative to the Central region’s committee with meetings planned quarterly. The team is eager for feedback, both positive and not-so-positive, big picture and small, and welcomes strategies for spreading the word about the Help Line to a variety of communities. Feel free to outline your experience with the Help Line or suggestions for outreach in an email and send it our way, nami.cmsx@gmail.com, and we’ll pass it along to the committee.