Accomplishments

Launched in 2016, the Atlanta Behavioral Health Advocates (ABHA) is comprised of an interprofessional group of faculty members, trainees and staff whose members create, lead or participate in advocacy initiatives. ABHA educates and empowers behavioral health professionals with an interest in incorporating advocacy into their work activities. Through a behavioral health lens, ABHA pursues educational, scholarly and actions and solutions that promote individual, community and societal health and equity.  

The following is a brief overview of ABHA’s accomplishments:

• Developed a mission and goals statement
• Created a logo
• Launched a website
• Established a nonhierarchical structure

• Edited a special issue of the American Psychological Association (APA) journal, Psychological Services 
• Contributed to the scholarly literature
  • Learning to be interprofessional advocates in the public sector.
  • Ecological framework for social justice advocacy by behavioral health professionals in public healthcare.
• Presented our work at conferences
  • American Psychological Association
  • Georgia Psychological Association
  • Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Forensics Annual Meeting
• Provided continuing education workshops on a range of topics to raise awareness and provide suggestions for how advocacy within the behavioral healthcare system

• Developed and distributed 16 videos to provide education about the voting process and to encourage people to vote, especially people with behavioral health conditions

• Established a blog platform for behavioral health advocacy with a national reach through Psychology Today – “Outside the Box.” 
• Published over 30 blogs to date with over 40,000 reads in the first six months
• Promoted health equity and healthy lifestyles by walking alongside people and talking with them about relevant public health topics through the Walk with a Doc Program sponsored by Emory University’s Urban Health Initiative

• Partnered with an interdisciplinary group of healthcare providers and national mental health organizations on Call for Action to Prevent Gun Violence in the United States of America presented to Congress.
• Advocated for federal laws that increase access to affordable behavioral healthcare including expansion of insurance coverage for telehealth and provider reimbursement.