Become a Member
Membership Benefits
Networking: ACMHAI offers Community Behavioral Health Authority Directors in Illinois an opportunity to connect and communicate with each other in a collaborative environment. Quarterly meetings offer members a face to face opportunity ACMHAI Members learn from other members doing similar work and seek consult and peer mentoring by connecting with members who are knowledgeable of peer mentors with longevity and experience. Networking and sharing resources, strategies, and practices assist members in enhancing their operations of local community mental health authorities. Networking with ACMHAI membership provides members the ability to create alliances or partnerships around key behavioral health work and issues.
Advocacy: One of the most valued benefits to ACMHAI members is advocacy. When you become a member, you have an organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the behavioral health needs of your county, township or municipality. Government Strategy Associates-GSA is a dedicated team contracted by ACMHAI to lobby and advocate on our members behalf. GSA has delivered exceptional services and has worked to protect and advocate for the provisions of our State statute: the Community Mental Health Act, (405 ILCS 20), County Care for Persons with Developmental Disabilities Act (55 ILCS 105), and related Acts. GSA identifies key contacts, provides guidance in Springfield and represents positions of ACMHAI on public policy to the Illinois General Assembly. GSA also communicates positions on substantive legislation, appropriations, and administrative rules that advance ACMHAI’s advocacy agenda and goals. Advocacy is an expense to ACMHAI and as an Association member it is more cost effective to share the cost of a lobbyist than for each member to contract these services.
Education: ACMHAI offers a variety of educational opportunities from quarterly trainings to webinars and information on other behavioral health associations and state and national conferences. Presenters have included leaders in behavioral health in Illinois
and other states. Educational topics can include information specific to the operations of community behavioral health authorities, key issues and trends, promoting best practices, and current legislation. Members feel that the educational resources alone pay for membership. A library of documents, materials, manuals and tools are available for members to view on the ACMHAI website to provide further assistance to members.
Briefings: Behavioural health news and updates are provided to members weekly through the dissemination of Newsletters and Materials (I.e., Capital Fax, National Council of Behavioural Health and Developmental Disability Directors-NACBHDDD, Open Minds, Illinois Association of Behavioral Health –IABH, Community Behavioral Health Association-CBHA).
Research: ACMHAI conducts various research and analysis on behavioural health as it impacts counties, townships and municipalities. White papers and research reports have been conducted that have offered great insights and have helped us advocate for specific behavioural health services. Financial analysis of Board levies, member-salary surveys and other analysis by pooling resources from members, provide materials that benefit everyone in the group.
Membership Categories
Full Membership
For 708 Community Mental Health Boards, 377 Boards Serving Persons with a Developmental Disability or 553 Local Health Departments Funding Mental Health Services in Illinois.
Full members are voting members of ACMHAI and may participate on any of the standing committees. Full members may attend all ACMHAI Membership Meetings and trainings. Full members will receive information and have access to all ACMHAI materials and resources including those limited materials available only to community behavioral health authorities.
Full membership dues are currently calculated at the rate of .0025 of the total of the community levy, interest income, and personal property replacement tax, if any.
New members can join as a trial member at a reduced membership rate of $500.00 for the first year.
Affiliate Membership
For providers, associations, community mental health committees, those preparing to go to community referendum or other interested parties.
Affiliate members are non-voting members of ACMHAI. Affiliate members may participate on the Legislative Committee, Children’s Mental Health Committee or Medicaid Committee and attend all ACMHAI Membership Meetings and trainings. Affiliate members will receive information and have access to all ACMHAI materials and resources except those limited materials available only to community behavioral health authorities.
Affiliate membership dues is $500 annually.