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Welcome to the latest CMHIS Community Connect newsletter, your bimonthly source for tools, insights, and opportunities to strengthen mental health practices.
In this issue, we focus on sustainment—what it takes to keep effective mental health programs thriving after launch. We’re bringing forward the first story from our new Success Stories From the Field campaign, highlighting how real communities are sustaining mental health programs after grant funding ends. You’ll also find a practical new sustainment resource, details on the upcoming 2026 Project AWARE & TISS learning opportunity, and updates from the field—including where you can find us at upcoming national conferences and new tools from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC). We also break down the Sustainment Measurement System Scale (SMSS) in our Implementation Science Corner and why it matters for long-term impact.
Each edition is designed to bring you practical strategies and real-world examples to support implementation in your setting. As always, remember you’re part of a connected community advancing accessible, effective care. CMHIS is here to help chart the course and keep you moving forward.
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Dear Colleagues,
In August, we launched Success Stories From the Field: Sustaining Mental Health Service Delivery—a new campaign highlighting real-world examples of communities putting effective mental health programs into action and sustaining them for the long term. Each story shows what it takes to move from ideas to impact—and that there’s hope in keeping the work going, even after the grant period ends.
Our first feature spotlights North Carolina’s Project AWARE/ACTIVATE, where three rural school districts took on a longstanding challenge: how to support student mental health in communities with limited resources and access to care. Over five years, these districts trained school staff, built coordinated systems of support, and connected students to real services. The result: an 88% service-connection rate among referred students and nearly 11,000 students reached over the course of the project.
The most compelling part? The work didn’t end when the grant did. Local districts, state partners, and community organizations integrated the program into policy, staffing structures, and funding streams to ensure it lasts.
| | New Resource: Sustainment Support Planning Infographic | |
Planning for long-term impact just got easier. The Sustainment Support Planning Infographic outlines 10 practical steps mental health programs can take to develop, implement, and refine a sustainment action plan—from defining what you want to sustain and why to evaluating and continuously improving your sustainment efforts. This easy-to-follow visual is designed to help programs move from initial implementation to lasting impact.
Look for our expanded Sustainment Support Planning Guide, coming soon, for in-depth guidance on how to walk your program through each step of the sustainment-planning process. You can also request free consultation on sustainment from your bi-regional Hub.
| | At CMHIS, all of our learning opportunities and resources are free. | | Upcoming Event: Project AWARE & TISS Sustainability Planning Learning Community–Apply Now | | |
Application deadline: Friday, Dec. 19, 2025
Are you a grantee working on a school-based mental health program at the state, district, or campus level for a Project AWARE or TISS grant? Are you looking to strengthen your sustainability planning and ensure your program continues to deliver meaningful impact beyond your initial grant?
CMHIS and our five bi-regional Hubs invite you to apply to join a new, six-session, biweekly learning community beginning in February 2026 focused on building capacity for sustainability planning. This series offers a practical, collaborative opportunity to gain hands-on experience in developing or improving a sustainability plan, so your work can continue making a difference long-term. Sessions will include didactics and consultation from experts, structured breakout activities, and peer-to-peer learning to guide participants through each step of the sustainability planning process. At the end of the learning community, you will have created or enhanced a sustainability plan for at least one key accomplishment of your grant.
This programming has been developed specifically for current and former Project AWARE and TISS grantees.
Additional details including applicant requirements, expectations, learning community timeline and more are available in the online application. Interested applicants should complete the online application by 11:59 p.m. PT on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.
| | Pacific West Hub: Leading Change That Sticks | | |
Dec. 1 | 3–4 p.m. PST
Join the Pacific West Hub for a practical session on how to plan, implement, and sustain change in mental health programs. The presenters will share proven approaches for planning, implementing, and maintaining change—and invite input so they can tailor Hub support to attendee priorities.
Attendees will:
- Identify key steps for planning and implementing mental health program changes.
- Explain principles of implementation models and how they apply to real-world challenges.
- Apply practical tools to prioritize efforts, engage stakeholders, and maintain momentum.
- Identify available free implementation support resources and know how to access them and connect with our team
Presenters: Christina Clayton, Denna Vandersloot, and Akansha Vaswani-Bye
Open to programs in HHS Regions 9 and 10, which include AZ, CA, HI, NV, AS, MP, FSM, GU, MHL, PLW, AK, ID, OR, and WA.
| | Connect With Us in December: CMHIS staff will be at two upcoming conferences focused on implementation science and school mental health! | | D&I Conference: What Mental Health Organizations Need to Prepare for, Implement, and Sustain Effective Practices | |
We are anchoring a key session at the 18th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation, hosted by AcademyHealth. Our team, led by presenting author Heather Gotham, will highlight what mental health organizations across the country identify as their most urgent needs to prepare for, implement, and sustain effective evidence-based practices.
Tuesday, Dec. 16
3:15 to 3:30 p.m. ET
Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center
If you are attending D&I, do not miss this session:
| | Advancing School Mental Health Conference | |
You will also find Molly Lopez, Southwestern Plains Hub director, and Sarah McMinn, Midwest Hub program manager, exhibiting on behalf of CMHIS at the 2025 Advancing School Mental Health (ASMH) Conference! The ASMH Conference brings together educators, mental health professionals, researchers and policymakers to share strategies that strengthen student well-being and support academic success.
Stop by from Dec. 1-4 in Orlando, Florida, to learn more about our work across the bi-regional Hubs including our upcoming learning community for current and former Project AWARE & TISS grantees!
| | Supporting Behavioral Health Providers After Losing a Client to Suicide | | |
Behavioral health providers play an essential role in suicide prevention—but when a client dies by suicide, the loss can have a profound personal and professional impact.
The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) has developed a new video series and fact sheet designed to help providers and organizations navigate this difficult experience. In the short videos, behavioral health professionals share candid reflections on loss, healing, and the importance of self-compassion. The accompanying fact sheet offers concrete guidance for supporting providers after a client suicide, along with links to additional tools and resources.
These materials can serve as a foundation for organizational discussions about provider well-being, supervision, and systemic responses to loss.
| | Implementation Science Corner | | What Makes an Intervention Last? A Look at the Sustainment Measurement System Scale | |
Most interventions don’t fail at launch—they fade out over time. The Sustainment Measurement System Scale (SSMS) confronts the core question behind that pattern: Is your practice actually built to last?
The SSMS scale gives teams a quick, structured way to assess the conditions that drive long-term survival, including leadership support, workflow integration, resource stability and day-to-day adherence. Instead of assuming sustainment, it shows where an intervention is solid and where it’s vulnerable.
Why this matters now: Health systems and funders increasingly expect impact that holds up after implementation. Without a clear read on sustainment, teams risk losing promising gains once the project ends.
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We’d love to hear from you! Is there something you want us to cover in an upcoming CMHIS newsletter? Send us your thoughts, stories, or feedback.
What to Expect Next Month
In December, you’ll receive the newsletter from your local Hub, with updates and highlights from your bi-region.
We’ll be back in January with more CMHIS news, stories, and insights. In the meantime, feel free to visit our website, send us an email, or follow us on LinkedIn.
Request Support
The Center for Mental Health Implementation Support (CMHIS) and our bi-regional Hubs offer assistance to grantees funded by SAMHSA’s Center for Mental Health Services and any organization that oversee or directly provide mental health services. We can help your organization or system improve the delivery of mental health care by supporting you in preparing for, implementing, and sustaining effective prevention, treatment, and recovery programs and services.
Please review our guidelines and submit a request.
| | This project is supported by Grant Number SM090078 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of SAMHSA/HHS or the U.S. Government. |
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