Behavioral Health Innovators, Inc.

Behavioral Health Innovators Inc. (BHI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization creating innovative, high impact solutions for individuals and loved ones who suffer from behavioral health conditions. Our initial focus is on the prevention of, and recovery from, substance use disorder, anxiety and depression. We are conveners and thought leaders, calling on the industry, and engaging the private sector to think differently about how to help people with addictions and behavioral disorders achieve healthy lives. Our specialties are in the area of solution development, education, advanced research, consulting and communications.

Our goal is to create behavioral health solutions based on our five operating principals:

1.    Including patients and families as design and communication partners for prevention and recovery programs

2.    Using Innovative approaches and best practices from the innovation economy

3.    Leveraging emerging technologies and advanced research

4.    Developing solutions that are accessible/free and highly scalable for broad reach

5.    Convening and collaborating with industry partners

BHI provides local prevention education for substance use disorder (SUD) to youth and families. We also provide consulting services and solution development to address the gaps in the care continuum for young people suffering from SUD. 

BHI developed and coordinated a Youth Summit to provide a safe place outside of school to increase awareness of challenges youth experience today while encouraging healthy responses to these challenges. Over 75 students in grades 6-12 attended the MyChoice Matters Youth Summit. The theme was Dreams, Not Drugs. This theme was suggested by a high school student in recovery who shared that she chose to start her path to recovery when she realized that drugs were preventing her from achieving her dreams. In small, age-appropriate groups youth were engaged by facilitators in interactive and experiential learning activities and participated in discussions about choosing health behaviors to reduce substance use.  

BHI wrote and developed a “How to” Guide & Toolkit to assist educators and community groups with organizing and implementing a Youth Summit in their own communities. The funding source for the Youth Summit was the The National Library of Medicine and The Tower Foundation.

BHI will pilot an Alternative Peer Group on Cape Cod in early 2018. RecoveryBUILD Alternative Peer Group (APG) is a comprehensive adolescence recovery support model that integrates recovering peers and prosocial activities into evidence-based clinical practice. APGs are a critical piece of the care continuum that support youth and their families outside of school. When young people come to the APG space they can attend a 12-step meeting, work with a counselor and recovery coach to learn and develop healthy habits when they have substance cravings. There are regularly scheduled activities such as movie nights, retreats, exercise classes that teach young people that a sober lifestyle is possible, and more importantly, fun!