State provider groups band together to assert MH role in health reform.

If mental health providers are to become active and productive partners in the changing healthcare marketplace, the way in which they assert their importance must change. Touting the good work providers do is yesterday's news--now it is time to demonstrate the crucial capabilities mental health organizations can bring to partnerships with general health.

This type of energizing message has been woven into conversations since last spring as part of a National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare project called the Association Executives Affordable Care Act Learning Community. Sixteen state associations representing community behavioral health agencies were selected to attend monthly webinars and to work on three locally tailored change projects, the latter designed to ensure that mental health providers aren't left behind as new delivery systems evolve in the states.

The projects selected by the individual state associations have been both internal (in helping the state associations' individual members in their readiness efforts) and external (asserting the mental health provider community's influence with policy-makers and the general health sector in each state).

"We've talked about building the business case," David Lloyd, a nationally known consultant and one of two prominent faculty members coordinating the …