May 28, 2025 —  In celebration of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Cook County Office of Behavioral Health issued today its first Regional Behavioral Health Strategic Plan for Cook County. The plan provides a roadmap to expand access to care, reduce behavioral health inequities, and provide culturally humble services by leveraging partnerships, resources, and strategic initiatives.

“At a time when the federal government is cutting health care funding and fragmenting government agencies and health services, Cook County is leading the charge to expand care regionally,” Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle said. “We are investing in coordinating and growing the region’s behavioral health network because it will increase access to care and health equity; we believe this is the right thing to for our residents.”

The Cook County Office of Behavioral Health was established by Cook County Health (CCH) in 2023 to address the behavioral health needs of Cook County residents, particularly those from historically marginalized and underserved populations. The Cook County Office of Behavioral Health serves as a regional convener of providers, community-based organizations, government agencies and other stakeholders to optimize existing behavioral health services and identify opportunities to grow and enhance access to care in Cook County.

“Mental health is health. Our livelihoods, our families, and our communities are all impacted by our emotional, psychological and social well-being,” said Dr. Erik Mikaitis, Cook County Health CEO. “Through this strategic plan, we want to brightly illuminate the front door to mental health care for all residents of Cook County.”

To develop the Strategic Plan, the Office of Behavioral Health gathered input from hundreds of clinicians, leaders, government partners, and individuals and families with lived expertise

The Strategic Plan was also informed by key events and assessments led by the Office of Behavioral Health over the past year, including the Cook County Behavioral Health Summit; the Cook County Behavioral Health Workforce Assessment and Behavioral Health Workforce Symposium; the 2024 Cook County Behavioral Health Commu­nity Needs Assessment; and multiple region­al and countywide forums.

These efforts highlighted the critical challenges facing the regional behavioral health system, including service needs and workforce shortages, and helped shape targeted interventions to improve outcomes across the county.

The Strategic Plan focuses on five pri­ority areas:

• Systems Alignment: Breaking down silos and make sure all aspects and types of services – from prevention to crisis care – are working together, efficiently and equitably. The plan calls for enhanced coordination through Regional Behavioral Health Collaboratives, an intergovernmental advisory group, and alignment with state and federal initiatives. 
  
• Work­force Development: Addressing the unmet needs of behavioral health services in Cook County is further complicated by a substantial workforce shortage. Cook County was short by 15,885 the number of behavioral health workers needed to meet existing 2023 demand, a deficit exceeding 50% of the existing workforce.
  
  The Strategic Plan emphasizes advocacy for enhancing compen­sation, benefits, and career development opportunities, including internships, scholarships, and the expansion of peer support specialist roles. This includes developing awareness of behavioral health careers and creating a workforce pipeline that supports individuals from historically underserved communities to work in behavioral health. Collaboration with aca­demic institutions, in particular, the Behavioral Health Workforce Center at the University of Illinois-Chicago, will drive sustainable workforce solutions.
  
• Behavioral Health Services for Children, Youth, and Families: Proactive care, especially for children, youth, and families, is critical in reducing the long-term impacts of behavioral health challenges. Early support helps to prevent conditions from wors­ening, leading to fewer complications in the future. The plan prioritizes integrating services into schools and community-based settings, addressing family support needs, and ensuring timely access to care.
  
• Access to Treatment, Support, and Re­covery Services: Enhancing and expanding access to treatment, support, and recovery services requires a com­prehensive, data-driven, and collaborative approach to build an equitable, accessible, and effective system. The plan aims to reduce disparities in care and to provide support throughout an individual’s recovery journey. Strategies will focus on identifying service gaps, enhancing access and coordination, promoting innovative care models, and expanding the use of evi­dence-based practices.
  
• Crisis System En­hancement: Strengthening crisis care systems is key to reducing unnecessary arrests, hospitalizations, and reliance on emergency services while increasing access to community-based care. The plan supports the development of a comprehensive crisis care continuum by expanding access, enhancing care coordination, supporting post-crisis transitions, and reducing stigma through community awareness.

“We don’t want any Cook County resident to be left behind,” said Dr. Tom Nutter, Chief Behavioral Health Officer, Cook County Health. “Behavioral health needs extend beyond zip code and municipality limits, which means that we need a coordinated, all-hands on-deck approach to meet those needs. Through this collaboration, we have an unprecedented opportunity to systemically improve mental health care throughout Cook County.”

According to the Office of Behavioral Health’s 2024 Workforce Assessment Report, approximately 23% of the county’s population—more than 1.2 million individuals—needed behavioral health services in 2023, but about 420,000 (35%) did not receive them.

“The needs are great but our desire to help is greater,” President Preckwinkle said. “I am thankful to the Cook County Office of Behavioral Health for their leadership in bringing together hundreds of partners to find ways to collaborate and meet the needs of the residents of our county.”

As the next step in advancing the Cook County Regional Behavioral Health Strategic Plan, the Office of Behavioral Health has formed and will lead 11 regional behavioral health collaboratives that will implement these plans on a hyperlocal level. These collaboratives will serve as guides to putting strategic plan priorities into action and ensure a coordinated local approach.

“By localizing efforts, we prioritize the needs of each region,” Dr. Mikaitis said. “This will promote equity and strengthen the behavioral health system.”

For more information about the Cook County Office of Behavioral Health, visit https://cookcountyhealth.org/about/office-of-behavioral-health/.