About the Collaborative:

Formerly known as the Collaborative Planning and Implementation Committee (CPIC), the BCBHC has convened partners for over 15 years to improve how the Baltimore Police Department responds to behavioral health crises. In 2017, its scope expanded to focus on system-wide transformation.

Today, the BCBHC is jointly led by:

• The Mayor’s Office
• The Baltimore Police Department (BPD)
• Behavioral Health System Baltimore (BHSB)

The Collaborative plays a central role in the system transformation work needed to satisfy the requirements of Paragraph 97 of the Consent Decree and serves as an ongoing accountability body for the City to gather input and feedback into system level change needed to address the behavioral health needs of people in Baltimore.

The group includes community members, people with lived experience with mental illness and/or substance use disorder, service providers, institutional leaders and other advocates.

Vision:

Baltimore City will develop a system of care that

• treats all people with dignity and respect,
• prevents people from having unnecessary contact with police,
• diverts people away from the criminal justice system into services that will meet the needs of the individual and their family, and
• de-escalate crisis situations with minimal or no use of force.

Guiding Principles:

• We recognize that change must happen and it will take time.
• There is shared ownership of achieving our vision.
• We acknowledge that change is a process, that we need to attend to the present while also articulating the vision for the future and continuously reassessing progress made.
• We respect one another by asking questions, being open to new perspectives and ideas, and embracing change as opportunities to improve the system of care in Baltimore.
• The active participation of people living with or impacted by mental illness and/or substance use disorder must inform our work. 
• The first point of contact in our system of care whenever possible should be a service provider, not an officer.
• Services should be available whenever a person or family needs them.
  • We envision a police force where diversion is routine, 
    • all officers are trained at a basic level to respond to behavioral health emergencies, 
    • there is a humane response to people in crisis,
    • there is a sufficient number of specially trained Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) officers to be dispatched to calls for service involving people experiencing a behavioral health crisis, and
    • There is a process for police to respond in partnership with the behavioral health system to allow for more complex diversion opportunities. 
• It is critical to our success to bring together overlapping parts of our existing behavioral health police projects
• We will advocate for sufficient resources to fully implement recommendations.
• We will continuously evaluate the success of our work.

Collaborative Structure:

• General Body Meetings
  • Meets quarterly to support the system transformation work needed to satisfy the requirements of Paragraph 97 of the Consent Decree
  • Open to all community members and stakeholders
  • Focus on updates, shared learning, and coordinated action
  • Most meetings are virtual, at least one per year is held in a community space.
• Standing Subcommittees
  (All subcommittees meet bi-monthly and are open to new participants)
  • Policy & Advocacy Subcommittee
    • Develops strategies for systems-level advocacy
    • Supports legislative and policy change efforts
    • Convenes ad hoc subgroups as needed for policy review
  • Training Subcommittee
    • Designs and informs behavioral health-related training for Baltimore Police Department, and other emergency and crisis responders 
    • Ensures curriculum reflects current best practices
  • Data-Informed Outcomes Subcommittee
    • Informs multi-agency continuous quality assurance and quality improvement (QA/QI) framework focused on reducing police interventions in behavioral health crises and expanding access to effective, community-based services. 
    • Analyzes and shares data to support quality improvement
    • Informs subcommittee work with system-wide data
    • Tracks key indicators such as 911 diversion, mobile crisis response, and call center coordination
  • Community Engagement Subcommittee (not yet formed)
    • Increases community involvement through outreach and public forums
    • Strengthens member engagement and visibility of the Collaborative
  • Ad Hoc Subcommittees
    • Formed as needed to respond to emerging issues or review specific policies
    • Participation is open; notifications are sent to the full Collaborative

How to Get Involved - Join the Baltimore City Behavioral Health Collaborative (BCBHC):

Whether you're a resident, advocate, provider, or policymaker—your voice matters. Join us in building a system that treats everyone with dignity, prioritizes care over enforcement, and delivers meaningful change. Email behavioralhealth@baltimorecity.gov for more information.

Upcoming Meetings: 

BCBHC General Body Meetings: 

(Quarterly on the 4th Tuesday of the month)

Email behavioralhealth@baltimorecity.gov for an invitation.
 
BCBHC Policy & Advocacy Subcommittee Meetings:

(Bi-Monthly on the 4th Tuesday of the month)

Email behavioralhealth@baltimorecity.gov for an invitation.

BCBHC Data Informed Outcomes Subcommittee Meetings:

(Bi-Monthly on the 3rd Tuesday of the month)

Email behavioralhealth@baltimorecity.gov for an invitation.

BCBHC Training Subcommittee Meetings:

(Bi-Monthly on the 3rd Thursday of the month)

Email behavioralhealth@baltimorecity.gov for an invitation.

Related Documents

Meeting Notes & Presentations – BCBHC General Body 05.27.2025

1. 911 Diversion Updates - BCBHC General Meeting 05/27/25
2. BH Crisis System Data - BCBHC General Meeting Presentation 05/27/2025
3. BCBHC General Body Meeting Minutes - 05/27/25
4. Sentinel Event Reviews - BCBHC General Meeting Presentation 05/27/2025
5. BCRI Therapist/Mental Health Clinician Job Posting

Other Behavioral Health and Consent Decree Related Documents

1. Public Behavioral Health System Gap Analysis Report 
2. Public Behavioral Health System Gap Analysis Implementation Plan (GAIP) 
3. Consent Decree Paragraph 97 Implementation Report (Q1-Q2 2024)