Children’s Behavioral Health Coalition

The Children’s Behavioral Health Coalition (CBHC) was reestablished by the Mental Health Association of Maryland in the summer of 2017 after we noticed an alarming increase in policy issues and concerns specific to children and youth’s behavioral health needs.

CBHC is comprised of consumer advocacy groups that collaborate to identify core priorities and unmet needs, and coordinate advocacy efforts in response to these issues.

The coalition has realized a great deal of success since its re-establishment. The 2020 Blueprint for Maryland’s Future, a landmark public education reform bill, incorporated every CBHC recommendation addressing positive school behavioral health enhancements and established the Maryland Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports to develop and fund community-partnered school behavioral health programs across the state. The coalition developed and led a successful legislative effort in 2022 to streamline the process of establishing educational funding for youth referred to residential treatment centers and reduce the need for voluntary placement agreements.

In 2023, CBHC led successful legislation to expand access to high fidelity wrapround in Maryland, the gold standard for treating youth with behavioral health needs, and supported the Trans Health Equity Act, modernizing Maryland Medicaid’s coverage of gender affirming care.

For more information on the Children’s Behavioral Health Coalition please contact:

Margo Quinlan
Director of Child and Older Adult Policy
mquinlan@mhamd.org