Holly Salazar

Hello Everyone,

After a long election night, it is clear that we continue to be a country that is divided.  As a result, we thought it critical to share an update on our commitment at CBHL to address systemic racism and openly discuss and acknowledge the impact this has on our communities.  We are writing today to give you an update on our work. 

When the CBHL Board of Directors met in June to determine the action we would commit to taking to address systemic racism, we began by acknowledging that racism is baked into the core of the United States and that we were each committed to addressing the impact of racism, class, and privilege on our communities, especially among communities of color.  We also acknowledged the need to articulate and communicate values of social justice and equity as the core of all of our initiatives, to host difficult conversations and consider the compounding impacts of racism and white supremacy on our work, and to remember not to over-complicate, but to start somewhere.

As a Board we discussed specific potential opportunities for organizational commitment, but realized that we didn’t know exactly where to start, and struggled a bit to determine the best course of action.  It was this realization that prompted us to – as a first and immediate step – engage a consultant to help clarify how we as a Board and an organization would take action to adequately and appropriately address racism as the primary root cause of inequity in health, social and wellbeing outcomes, ground our strategies with a focus on achieving equity and reducing disparities, and share our learnings and opportunities for transformation across disciplines with members.  

We held two affinity groups among board members and a workshop – Exploring Whiteness and Systemic Racism – over the last few months, and have made an organizational commitment to continuing this work.  As we engage with our members and launch new initiatives – including the creation of our Center for Leadership Innovation – we are committed to supporting and developing leaders committed to creating equitable systems for all.

We look forward to sharing more about our work to address racism in the coming months. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Holly or to one of us with your thoughts, concerns, or questions.     

Wendy Varnell, LCSW, CBHL Board President
Alicia Smith, MHA, CBHL Board President-Elect

Dear Colleagues,

COVID-19 and new attention to the effects of racism have reinforced that Partnering with Communities to Improve Health Outcomes is more important than ever for health care leaders.  Thus, it is with great enthusiasm we announce our 2020 signature offering will be going virtual in a new and exciting format this year! The 2020 Un-Summit: A Leadership Forum is a 9-week series of live, interactive and on-demand events held September 24 through November 19, 2020.

The Un-Summit is a robust virtual learning package designed for busy leaders to learn together, develop new connections and build resilience as we tackle the most pressing issues facing the health of our communities today. The Un-Summit will be dynamic, interactive and flexible to spur bold ideas and actions to tackle the most pressing issues facing the health of our communities today.

While our understanding of the content will build sequentially through the series, we recognize the time constraints on leaders in today’s environment and have created both optional and core content with pathways for participants to “catch up” via recorded and on-demand events. 

The Un-Summit will kick off on Thursday, September 24 with our Opening Session 12-1pm EST, followed by a keynote address 1:30-2:15pm EST with Tyler Norris, MDiv, Chief Executive of Well Being Trust, an impact philanthropy with a mission to advance the mental, social and spiritual health of the nation. 

Registration opens later this month – check out our website for more information. We look forward to learning together with you!

Holly Salazar | Director of OperationsThe College for Behavioral Health Leadership

A Statement from the College for Behavioral Health Leadership (CBHL)

The killing of Mr. George Floyd has once again brought into stark reality the undeniable impact of racism in the United States. The ingrained racism in our society contributes not only to deaths in the criminal justice system, but also hurts the health and wellness of communities of color through disparities in health care, housing, education, employment, income and neighborhood quality of life.

The College for Behavioral Health Leadership (CBHL) is a place where leaders collaborate to help communities across the nation improve behavioral health wellness and address health inequity.  CBHL condemns all acts of unequal treatment of Black, Brown and other communities of color. We recognize the rage and helplessness that has led to rioting. We are committed to working in partnership with our Board, staff and members to ensure that the work of CBHL promotes an understanding of and attention to eliminating systemic racism and subsequent health inequity.

We hope that you join us in this important cause.

Yours in peace, 

The CBHL Board of Directors

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We encourage you to look around our website and as always, if you have questions or would like to schedule a conversation to learn more, feel free to reach out to me at hsalazar@leaders4health.org.
Happy clicking!