The Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska, housed at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, has founded the Behavioral Health Workforce Center Alliance, a network of behavioral health workforce development centers from across the United States.
The alliance is designed to allow members to connect with colleagues and experts, understand national workforce trends and innovate in the field of behavioral health workforce development, said BHECN Director Marley Doyle, MD.
Alliance members will participate in quarterly virtual meetings, annual in-person gatherings and other forums to share state-specific workforce challenges and successes, collaborate on workforce projects and presentations, and support each other through establishing relationships, Dr. Doyle said.
“BHECN has long been a pioneer in behavioral health workforce development,” Dr. Doyle said. “We are thrilled to start this alliance and help facilitate conversations that will advance behavioral health workforce development across the country.”
Nineteen organizations from around the country have joined the Behavioral Health Workforce Center Alliance so far. (Visit the alliance webpage to see who is participating.) BHWCA members represent a broad array of behavioral health professions, and this will help the alliance take a more comprehensive approach to addressing workforce issues, said BHECN Deputy Director Kati Cordts, PhD.
“Through BHECN’s work, we have seen the importance of engaging interprofessional stakeholders to inform programs and grow the workforce,” Dr. Cordts said. “The alliance reflects our commitment to interdisciplinary collaboration and brings together individuals with a range of experiences and approaches related to behavioral health workforce development.”
Created by the Nebraska Legislature in 2009 to address the state’s behavioral health workforce shortage, the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska was the nation’s first state-funded behavioral health workforce center. In the ensuing years, similar centers have been established across the country – several modeled closely after BHECN.
“Behavioral health workforce challenges are not unique to Nebraska,” Dr. Doyle said. “The alliance will bring groups from around the country together to share experiences and best practices to help create and disseminate strategies that will strengthen behavioral health workforces nationwide.”
One alliance member that was largely modeled after the Behavioral Health Education Center of Nebraska is Nevada’s BeHERENV, which was formed in 2023 after consulting regularly with BHECN.
The Behavioral Health Workforce Center Alliance stands to make a major impact on behavioral health workforce development across the country, said Sara Hunt, PhD, BeHERENV’s executive director.
“BeHERE Nevada is excited about this new opportunity to learn from other states and hopefully collaborate on different initiatives to promote behavioral health education and career pathways,” Dr. Hunt said. “This alliance has the potential to be a game changer in expanding our nation’s behavioral health workforce.”