The Center for Mental Health Implementation Support (CMHIS) and our 5 bi-regional Hubs provide support for organizations and systems on how to implement effective practices to deliver the best mental health care.

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to our August 2026 newsletter!

As summer winds down, we're also concluding the second year of our CMHIS grant. This year has been marked by learning, collaboration, and partnership across our bi-region, and we're grateful for the opportunity to support your work. Thank you for being part of this community. We look forward to continuing this work together in Year 3.

In this issue you’ll find: 


• Highlights from our bi-regional behavioral health leadership convening in Seattle, WA
• Upcoming national learning opportunities
• New resources to help you pinpoint implementation challenges and choose strategies to overcome them

What We're Hearing & Where We're Headed:

Highlights From Our 2026 Bi-Regional Convening

Christina Clayton (Co-Director); Alejandro Flores – AZ (La Frontera EMPACT) and David Katz (Hub Evaluator); Lydia Chwastiak (Co-Director), Eric Boyer (Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority), and Christa Jones – OR (OHA)

In early July, our Hub had the pleasure of bringing together behavioral health leaders and partners from across the Pacific West bi-region for a full-day convening in Seattle, Washington. Representatives joined us from across HHS Regions 9 and 10, from Washington all the way to Hawaii.

Across our vast bi-regional area, there were common and unique challenges across communities and systems. We focused the day on identifying opportunities for collaboration, sharing ideas, and exploring how we can better support one another in the work ahead.

Kathryn Akeah – WA (AIHC); Alisa Randall – AZ (AZHCCCS); Stewart Wilder (ID Suicide Prevention 
Coalition); Cherryl Ramirez – OR (AOCMHP); and Lance Johnson – AK (ABHA)

Several priorities emerged from our conversations:

• Strengthening rural behavioral health systems
• Supporting Tribal behavioral health capacity and sovereignty
• Moving beyond compliance to improved quality of care
• Fostering healthier organizational data cultures

As we look ahead to Year 3 of our grant, these priorities are top of mind. While our field continues to face significant challenges, communities are also navigating wildfires, extreme weather, and other terrible disruptions. Even in hard times, we know that creative solutions are possible, especially when we bring our collective expertise and experience to the table.



Thank you to everyone who traveled from near and far to spend the together. We're excited to build on the momentum from these conversations and carry them into the year ahead!

If any of these topics resonate with you, or if you have any ideas relating to your own setting, stay tuned, or feel free to reach out to us via email or through our website. We’re here to explore how we can support your priorities.

Warm regards,

Co-Directors Christina Clayton & Lydia Chwastiak

You can find upcoming learning opportunities held by each Hub on the CMHIS events calendar. Learn more about new events and register below.

Engaging & Integrating Partners into Community MH

Every other Thurs., Sept. 10–Nov. 19, 11 a.m.–1 p.m. PT

Identifying and Addressing School Staff Well-Being

Fridays, September 11–25

10–11 a.m. PT

Measurement-Based Care Skills for Everyday Practice

Tuesday, September 15

Noon – 1:30 p.m. PT

Have you ever implemented a program or practice that didn't go as planned? When a mental health program isn't achieving the desired results, the challenge may not be the program itself. Factors such as staffing, workflows, organizational practices, resources, and competing priorities can all affect implementation success.

Our three-part learning series, Moving From Barriers to Action: Launching or Revitalizing Your Mental Health Programs, helps you figure out what’s getting in the way and, more importantly, what to do about it.

The series walks through practical approaches for identifying barriers and facilitators, prioritizing the factors that matter most, and choosing strategies to fit your setting. Below you'll find a breakdown of each session by topic:

Explore the recordings and slides on the CMHIS Learning Lab, or access other asynchronous resources across a variety of newly uploaded topics, such as:

• Developing the Mental Health Workforce Through Bachelor’s Programs
• Cross-Systems Collaboration for Crisis Continuum of Care
• Guidance for Adapting Mental Health Practices and Programs
• And more!

It can be difficult to attend live sessions with so many competing priorities. Our aim is to make it easier for you and your teams to learn at your own pace. The Learning Lab is updated frequently, so be sure to check back to see what other relevant topics are uploaded by the Hubs!