Behavioral Health Is Health Care
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to elevate a conversation that hospitals and health systems live every day. Behavioral health is inseparable from physical health, family stability and economic well-being. It affects every community, every age group and every care setting. And today, the need has never been greater.
Why Mental Health Awareness Month Matters
Across the country, hospitals and health systems are seeing unprecedented demand for behavioral health services. Emergency departments are caring for more patients in mental health crisis. Primary care teams are addressing anxiety, depression and substance use alongside chronic disease. Pediatric providers are responding to rising mental health needs among children and adolescents. These challenges are not isolated, and they cannot be solved in silos.
That is why behavioral health is a top priority for hospitals and health systems — and for the AHA. Our members are working every day to expand access, integrate care, strengthen the workforce and reduce stigma, often while navigating limited resources and outdated systems that have not kept pace with need.
How Hospitals Are Responding and Innovating
Hospitals are innovating in powerful ways. Many are embedding behavioral health professionals into primary and specialty care so patients can receive whole-person care in familiar settings. Others are partnering with community organizations, schools and law enforcement to improve crisis response and continuity of care. Health systems are investing in tele-behavioral health to reach rural and underserved communities and developing programs focused on early intervention, prevention and recovery.
For example, Sheppard Pratt in Baltimore has driven transformative expansions in youth mental health care, integrated school‑based programs, urgent psychiatric services and mobile crisis resources that meet patients where they are with dignity and compassion. Earlier this month, we presented the 2026 Justin Ford Kimball Innovators Award to Harsh Trivedi, M.D., president and CEO of Sheppard Pratt and a former member of the AHA Board of Trustees, for these efforts.
At the same time, challenges remain significant. Workforce shortages — particularly for psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses and social workers — continue to constrain access. Payment models often fail to adequately support behavioral health services or integration efforts. And patients may face long waits due to insurance barriers, fragmented care or barriers driven by stigma. Addressing these issues requires sustained commitment and collaboration.
Supporting Hospitals and Advancing Behavioral Health
The AHA is committed to supporting hospitals and health systems as they meet this moment. We provide tools and resources to help members strengthen behavioral health care across settings. They include strategies on integrating behavioral health and primary care, resources to support clinician well-being and suicide prevention, and data and insights that help leaders understand trends and plan strategically. We also convene hospitals to share best practices, learn from peers and scale solutions that work.
In addition, we continue to advocate for policies — many of which are highlighted in our 2026 Advocacy Agenda — that expand access to behavioral health services and support the workforce. Our focus is always on ensuring that patients can get timely, compassionate care when and where they need it.
Mental Health Awareness Month is a reminder that behavioral health is everyone’s concern. Reducing stigma, encouraging people to seek help and supporting caregivers and clinicians are responsibilities we all share. Hospitals and health systems cannot do this work alone, but they are essential anchors in their communities, bringing together partners to improve access and outcomes.
Behavioral health is foundational to health and healing. As we shine a light on mental health this May, the AHA will continue to stand with hospitals and health systems in making behavioral health care a priority, today and for the future.