What We Do
Advocate, Innovate, Collaborate
MACMHP is here to help independent providers navigate today’s challenges and increasingly complex landscape together.
Stability comes from belonging to a protective, aligned network that has your back at the Capitol, in the clinic, and across the boardroom table.
For 50 years, MACMHP has provided its members continuous support and professional networks to advocate, collaborate, and innovate for community mental health.
Advocate
Lobbying for Community Mental Health Since 1976
MACMHP passes legislation and delivers budgets to strengthen the community mental health system. Its registered lobbyists, policy experts, and lawyers ensure public programs deliver the mental health benefits that our communities deserve.
Policymakers trust MACMHP
MACMHP maintains direct relationships with legislators and healthcare leaders and has a permanent seat at the table representing the entire sector, serving as point of contact with state agencies, and serves as a united front on important issues.
National representation more important than ever
Full MAMCHP membership includes 100% state membership representation in major national bodies, including the National Council for Mental Wellbeing (NCMW) and the National Association of County Behavioral Health & Disability Directors (NACBHDD).
The people behind the policy.
MACMHP is committed to excellence in the legislative arena, choosing policy experts to lead MACMHP and contracting with Minnesota’s best health care lobbyists.
MACMHP Executive Director Jin Lee Palen brings decades of legislative expertise to our members. She is recognized by lawmakers as a leading authority on community health and regularly testifies before legislative committees.
Larkin Hoffman and Burdick Policy and Advocacy
Policy Consultants
Matthew W. Bergeron brings a unique blend of legislative and health law experience to MACMHP as an attorney and lobbyist. A shareholder in Larkin Hoffman’s health care and government relations practices, Matthew helps develop, draft, and promote MACMHP’s legislative agenda while nurturing strong professional relationships with public policymakers at all levels of government.
Matthew helps MAMCHP navigate complex regulatory processes and requirements at the state and federal levels.
Matt F. Burdick brings a deep knowledge of Minnesota’s health and human services processes, systems, and infrastructure as principal of Burdick Policy and Advocacy. Most recently, Matt served as the Director of State Government Relations at the Minnesota Department of Human Services. He previously served as a Policy Advisor to Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan on Health, Health Insurance, Human Services, and Homelessness and began his career doing public policy and grassroots organizing with NAMI Minnesota.
Legislative Accomplishments
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) – permanent CCBHC state Medicaid benefit (2019/20):
Transitioned the CCBHC model from a limited federal pilot program into a permanent, highly sustainable state Medicaid benefit; shepherded MN’s return to Federal CCBHC Demonstration and continued participation (2022/23)
Clearing regulatory underbrush:
Led the multi-year legislative overhaul that collapsed decades of fragmented, conflicting clinic regulations into the Mental Health Uniform Service Standards Act (2019-21); steered direction of proposals and policies in the next step of Uniform Service Standards (USS 2.0) in 2026.
Mental Health Reimbursement Reforms –
Medicaid Rates Report (2023/4); led and passed: a 3% increase to Mental health outpatient rates (2024), annual inflation to cost-based services’ rates (2025), increase services paid to 100% Medicare; master-level licensed clinicians reimbursed at 100% Medicaid rate; increase to behavioral health home payments (2025)*
*state law not effective until funding authorized
Collaborate
Specialized Peer Networks & Compliance Safeguards
MACMHP connects teams with trusted peers to solve problems and provide scale, helping members collaborate while staying independent.
Staff Peer Roundtables
Discipline-specific listservs and facilitated peer roundtables for CEOs, Clinical Directors, HR, Finance, Billing, and Compliance Professionals to establish operational best practices with trusted colleagues across the state.
Audit-Ready Network
MACMHP provides shared data protocols, resources, and templates to strengthen internal compliance processes to compare against peer benchmarks.
Member Portal
MACMHP is launching an integrated CRM to bring inter-agency communication, resource sharing and file storage, event registration, and membership renewal together in one portal.
Knowledge Equity
Members have instant, free access to premium regulatory syntheses, operational toolkits, and specialized legal analyses that would otherwise cost individual agencies thousands to source privately.
Collective Purchasing Scale
Members can leverage the purchasing power of the entire association to secure favorable vendor terms and explore value-based contracting opportunities. The Strategic Partnership Program, coming in 2026, will be designed to streamline vendor management and provide discounted rates.
CCBHC Case Study
MACMHP collaboration led to the original federal demonstration project for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) almost a decade ago.
CCBHC’s are an integrated and sustainably financed model for care delivery that alleviates decades-old challenges in providing access to mental health and addiction care.
Participating clinics meet uniform standards that ensure everyone receives the same high quality of comprehensive care no matter where they live in Minnesota.
CCBHC’s are closing the gaps in care and meeting the needs of patients 24/7 by providing comprehensive care and treatment that reduce hospitalization by 62%.
“As a MACMHP member, one of the reasons that keeps me actively engaged is the way MACMHP is a team player. They collaborate directly with providers, coordinate efforts and initiatives with other “sister” behavioral health associations, and they are a member of the MN Mental Health Legislative Network all in the name of advocacy on behalf of mental health provider organizations across the state. Having that representation in St Paul is especially important for rural organizations in Greater MN like Alluma that are far away from the capital and need effective representation.”
Shauna Reitmeier, CEO of Alluma
Innovate
Evolving Care Models & New Horizons
MACMHP has been working to build an equitable and sustainable healthcare system for 50 years through innovation of service delivery, care models, and reimbursement.
The healthcare landscape is changing rapidly, with a growing focus on value-based care and an emphasis on delivering high-quality, effective, and efficient healthcare services.
Center of Excellence
In response, MACMHP created a new center of excellence, a clinically integrated independent practice association, Convergence Integrated Care (CIC).
CIC operates under standard clinical care protocols to allow joint commercial and Medicaid contract negotiations under the antitrust safe harbor exemption.
“The MACMHP team isn’t afraid to explore new possibilities or challenge the status quo in pursuit of better outcomes for community mental health. They embrace new ideas, foster collaboration, and champion innovative approaches all with the goal of moving the field forward. I have seen first hand how this culture of innovation has a real and direct impact for the better.”
Ann Henderson, CEO of Mental Health Resources (MHR)