Health reform holds opportunities, 'new agenda' for BH field.(Report)

About one-third of the newly insured population under health care reform will have a mental health or substance use condition, triggering opportunities for the behavioral health field to be at the table and develop strategies as new concepts and approaches are being developed for coverage and implementation, according to Ron Manderscheid, Ph.D., executive director of the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors (NACBHDD).

The remarks were made courtesy of the first of a new 12-month webinar series on national health reform that will focus on the health reform legislation and what it means for behavioral health.

The series was announced by ACMHA, The College for Behavioral Health Leadership and hosted by Manderscheid, its president-elect, who cited several areas of the new law that hold promise and opportunity for the field. Health insurance reform will provide for new insurance coverage for 32 million uninsured adults.

Manderscheid expressed appreciation to Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.), President Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for "sticking with …