• California: Beginning in October, San Francisco will use a new civil court process — called CARE court — to help people with untreated schizophrenia or other mental health disorders get treatment. CARE court will allow first responders, family members, behavioral health providers, and others to petition the court for behavioral health services. If the court determines the person qualifies for the program, they will receive an individualized treatment plan which includes medication, housing placements, and wraparound services. (Chen, Axios San Francisco, 9/28)
• District of Columbia: The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on Thursday released an updated estimate showing the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) increased federal spending by $5.4 billion between 2011 and 2020 and will increase spending by $1.3 billion between 2021 and 2030. The new estimates are based on reviews of 49 payment models launched by CMMI since it was created in 2010 and are well below initial projections. When CMMI was first created in 2010, CBO projected it would reduce federal spending by $2.8 billion over 10 years. (King, PoliticoPRO [subscription required], 9/28)
• Pennsylvania: Patient engagement software company Tendo on Wednesday said it will acquire MDsave, a provider marketplace company, for $150 million. Dan Goldsmith, CEO of Tendo, said the deal is expected to close in October and will allow the company to expand product offerings for its health system customers, implement its platform into MDsave's provider marketplace, and allow patients to view physician-level metrics like volume of procedures, outcomes, and complications when they're selecting care. (Turner, Modern Healthcare, 9/27)

As behavioral health needs have increased, healthcare organizations have sought to meet needs by collaborating to improve and expand services. But structural policy changes are required to create a truly equitable behavioral health system. This resource is designed to help all healthcare organizations identify policy changes to advocate for structural policy changes to advance long-term, equitable change in behavioral health.