AHA Affinity Forum: Advancing Population-Based Behavioral Health Inside and Outside the Hospital Walls

Overview

The American Hospital Association is convening health care leaders from across the country for a multi-session forum focused on advancing population-based behavioral health inside and outside the hospital walls. This series will explore how hospitals and health systems can leverage digital innovation, cross-sector partnerships, and population health strategies to improve health outcomes and financial performance.

Why Attend?

• Learn how hospitals address behavioral health across service areas, workforce, and patients
• Gain insights into digital and data-driven strategies that improve access and awareness
• Explore partnerships that address whole-person care and social determinants of health
• Discover frameworks for measuring success and scaling what works

Forum Sessions

Session #1
Community Health Strategies to Advance Behavioral Health
Sept. 16 — 12 PM CST

Explore how hospitals are advancing behavioral health through community-focused strategies that go beyond traditional care and address the whole person. Learn how digital tools and cross-sector partnerships are reshaping population-based behavioral health, with insights into early intervention, triage and scalable community interventions. Discover how power dynamics influence partnerships and what’s next in the evolution of behavioral health at the community level.

Session #2
Leveraging Digital Health for Scalable Mental Health Solutions
Oct. 14 — 12 PM CST

Learn how hospitals are harnessing digital health to expand access to mental health care in this engaging fireside chat featuring live technology demonstrations and peer discussions. Hear how AI, data-driven tools and digital platforms support early intervention and community engagement, and promote positive outcomes, while addressing barriers and cost drivers. Discover strategies for making the case to scale up community-based mental health programming.

Session #3
Measuring Success and Scaling Impact
Nov. 6 — 12 PM CST

Discover how hospitals can effectively measure and scale their mental health initiatives in this interactive session featuring real-world case studies and implementation strategies. Learn to define key performance indicators (KPIs), apply analytics to refine interventions and identify scalable models that drive lasting impact on quality indicators, health outcomes and on budgets. Participants will be guided in setting meaningful metrics and reporting outcomes to support program growth.

Presenters