The WICHE Behavioral Health Program serves the behavioral health needs and priorities of 16 member states and territories in varied ways. Select a state on the map for individual highlights reflecting WICHE’s engagement in that state.
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WICHE Behavioral Health Initiatives
Serving the behavioral health needs and priorities of the West
State Engagement
In FocusEXPLORE
Psychology Internship Consortia
WICHE BHP works with partners in several Western states to help them offer accredited psychology internships that will enable them to grow their own workforce capacity, particularly in rural or remote areas.
Multistate Projects
Fidelity Review Program
The BHP provides consultation, training, and technical assistance to support Western states in their implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) and continuous quality improvement efforts. The Fidelity Review Program conducts independent evaluation and fidelity/quality assurance reviews of the following EBPs: Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), including Forensic ACT (FACT), Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH), Supported Employment (SE), and Consumer Operated Services (COS). The BHP also specializes in adapting EBPs for implementation in rural and remote communities, including development of state-specific fidelity and quality assurance review tools with criteria that are relevant to rural contexts.
Mountain Plains Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Center (Mountain Plains ROTAC)
The WICHE BHP, under a grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), operates the Mountain Plains Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Center (Mountain Plains ROTAC). Mountain Plains ROTAC provides publicly accessible training and technical assistance to address the misuse of opiates and stimulants across the behavioral health continuum of care in HHS Region 8, covering Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Montana. Through training, webinars on evidence-based practices, supporting a Regional Advisory Workgroup, and providing robust Community of Practice learning opportunities, Mountain Plains ROTAC aims to reach populations impacted by health disparities in rural, tribal, and frontier communities to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with opioid and/or stimulant use in rural communities.
Pacific Behavioral Health Collaborating Council (PBHCC)
WICHE BHP has been working with the Pacific Behavioral Health Collaborating Council (through a TTI grant from NASMHPD) to incorporate and adopt the necessary policies and procedures to provide oversight of a Behavioral Health Aid (BHA) program. This program aims to be consistent with the BHA program developed through the Alaskan Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) with adaptation to island-based behavioral healthcare. Upon adoption, CNMI will work with the ANTHC training system and WICHE BHP to implement the BHA program.
Rural Veterans Suicide Prevention
Together With Veterans (TWV) enlists rural Veterans and local partners to join forces to reduce Veteran suicide in communities across the Western region. WICHE continues its collaboration with the Veterans Administration (VA) Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC) for Veteran suicide prevention, to implement this enterprise-wide initiative, which is funded by the VA Office of Rural Health. WICHE also provides training and technical assistance to rural sites interested in pursuing this Veteran-driven, evidence-informed approach to assessing community needs and creating a community-centered action plan grounded in the public health model for suicide prevention. TWV practices are in alignment with the VA National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide, and the SAMHSA/VA partnership implemented through the Governor’s Challenge and the Mayor’s Challenge to Prevent Suicide among Service Members, Veterans, and their Families.
Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Technical Assistance Project
JBS International, a professional services company, received a cooperative agreement from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to support the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Technical Assistance Project. WICHE BHP, in turn, is working with JBS International, the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), and the National Rural Health Association as the technical assistance lead for 16 of the 95 rural planning sites identified by HRSA. This project supports grantees in reducing morbidity and mortality associated with opioid use in their communities, which relies upon evidence-based and sustainable interventions.
Western States Decision Support Group
Since 1985, the Western States Decision Support Group (WSDSG) has served as an information-sharing network and collaboration group for behavioral health data and evaluation staff and managers from WICHE states and territories. WSDSG members participate in quarterly conference calls to discuss emerging issues in behavioral health data collection, reporting, and system evaluation. The BHP also organizes an annual meeting with training and presentations for WSDSG members to stay apprised of developments and best practices in the field of behavioral health data and evaluation. A Steering Committee of WSDSG members provides leadership for planning WSDSG activities. Additionally, Work Groups provide opportunities for targeted collaboration and collective action in response to emergent and timely issues in behavioral health data collection and reporting. Funding is based on an annual membership fee. Learn more here.
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Past projects
See a selection of projects the WICHE Behavioral Health Program has undertaken in recent years: