Massachusetts Behavioral Health Roadmap
The Massachusetts Roadmap for Behavioral Health Reform introduces reforms to make
outpatient assessment and treatment more readily available through a number of changes including:
- Expanded access to treatment, including nights and weekends for a subset of behavioral health providers.
- More behavioral health treatment—mental health and addiction services—at primary care offices.
- Better, more convenient community-based alternatives to the emergency department for crisis intervention services.
- Access to culturally relevant care in the person's preferred language.
On January 3, 2023, the Commonwealth launched new initiatives in support of the Behavioral Health Roadmap to increase access to mental health and substance treatment for people across Massachusetts
and offer insurance-blind behavioral health crisis services to anyone in the state.
The Massachusetts Behavioral Health Help Line (BHHL or BH Help Line) connects individuals and families to the full range of treatment services for mental health and
substance use disorder treatment services offered in Massachusetts, including outpatient, urgent, and immediate crisis care, by calling or texting 833-773-2445 (BHHL) or chatting online at
masshelpline.com.
Anyone in Massachusetts, including LGBTQIA+, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), individuals who are Deaf or hard of hearing, individuals with disabilities, and individuals whose first language
is not English, can contact the BHHL for real-time support, initial clinical assessment, and connection to the right evaluation and treatment. The BHHL is staffed by trained clinicians and Certified Peer
Specialists to support every caller's needs; every call, text, or chat conversation includes follow up by trained clinicians, and staff will remain on the line with the caller until they are connected to
the help they need. Visit masshelpline.com for more information.
The Commonwealth also established 25 Community
Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs). CBHCs offer immediate care for mental health and substance use needs, both in crisis situations for day-to-day needs. Crisis intervention services are available around
the clock for anyone in Massachusetts who feels they may be experiencing a mental health crisis and are entirely insurance-blind, meaning anyone can access services, no insurance needed. This includes
Mobile Crisis Intervention (MCI) for adults and children. MCI services allow anyone going through a crisis to either walk into a CBHC or call for a team to come to their location and access immediate mental
health care. Anyone can use MCI at any time, no insurance needed.
Community Crisis Stabilization (CCS) and outpatient services are available for all MassHealth Members and may also be covered by some
commercial insurers.
Additionally, the Commonwealth has created a Behavioral Health Roadmap Toolkit, which includes pre-made public
awareness and informational materials (including social media graphics, fact sheets, flyers, and more) that you can use to let your community know about these new services. We ask that you use this toolkit
to help spread the word about the Behavioral Health Help Line and Community Behavioral Health Centers.
Behavioral Health Roadmap Feedback Portal
As behavioral health services connected to the Roadmap for Behavioral Health Reform continue to rollout and receive more interactions, a
Feedback Portal is now available to share concerns related to the new services. This tool can be accessed and filled out by any anyone at
masspartnership.com, providers.masspartnership.com, masshelpline.com, and mass.gov.