History may help shape us, but it does not define us. We are free to learn from past mistakes, understand their present-day impact, and commit to doing better. I hope you will join us at MAMH - throughout the year - in celebrating not just the contributions of Black leaders and Americans, but also the potential of facing history to help us build a better, stronger future that is truly fair and equal. Read more in our special edition newsletter: Reflections on Black History Month here.

Despite being a leader in educating, training, and licensing a behavioral health workforce that is more robust than many states, Massachusetts is experiencing a shortage of qualified behavioral health providers. State efforts over the last few years provide a good start to addressing this challenge, but much more is needed. With critical funding support, MAMH and its research partner, NRI, Inc., developed a behavioral health workforce inventory to identify policies, programs, and other initiatives currently in place to help build and sustain a more robust, diverse workforce. Learn more in our Winter 2023 newsletter here.

In many ways, this past year has been a turning point for mental health advocacy. For years, we struggled to get policymakers, educators, and the media to prioritize or recognize mental health as a critical health policy issue. That has all changed. Read more in our December 2022 newsletter here.