Below is a copy of the email sent to all Riverside staff regarding Riverside’s advocacy efforts.
Dear Colleagues,
Melissa Kogut (Vice President of Development) and I were pleased to represent Riverside at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing’s Hill Day in Washington, D.C. this past week.
Alongside a delegation of Massachusetts behavioral health organizations led by the Association for Behavioral Healthcare (ABH) — and hundreds of peers from across the country — we met with U.S. legislators and their staffs on Capitol Hill to advocate for stronger mental health and substance use policies.
Our Advocacy Priorities
We focused our advocacy on several key national priorities:
- Improving Access to Comprehensive Mental Health and Substance Use Care through the Ensuring Excellence in Mental Health Act, which strengthens the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model — the foundation for Massachusetts’ own Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs).
- Supporting Mental Health and Substance Use Programs in FY26 Appropriations, urging continued federal investment in grants and block funding that fund community services in Massachusetts.
- Addressing the Nation’s Substance Use Crisis through the Due Process Continuity of Care Act and Reentry Act of 2025, which ensure Medicaid coverage for individuals before criminal justice adjudication and 90 days prior to release after incarceration — reducing gaps in treatment and preventing overdose and hospitalization.
Who We Met With
We met with legislative staff (and, in one case, Congressman Jim McGovern himself!) from the following offices:
- Congressman Jim McGovern (2nd District – Central Mass. to Pioneer Valley)
- House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (5th District – Metro Boston and MetroWest)
- Congressman Stephen Lynch (8th District – South Shore and MetroWest)
- Congressman Seth Moulton (6th District – North Shore)
- Congressman Jake Auchincloss (4th District – Including much of Riverside’s service area)
- Senator Elizabeth Warren
- Senator Edward Markey
How It Went
We shared how these federal initiatives directly impact the people we serve — helping fill gaps in care and improve outcomes. Our discussions were lively and thoughtful, with legislators and staff eager to understand the on-the-ground realities behind these policies.
We also addressed current issues affecting our workforce and people we serve, including the government shutdown, changes to immigration and HB-1 visas, and Medicaid work requirements. These conversations underscored how Riverside’s real-world experiences make our advocacy powerful — and many asked for more stories they could share!
If you’ve read this far — thank you! Advocacy is core to Riverside’s mission and strategic plan, and we’re proud to have represented our organization and the communities we serve at such an important moment in our nation’s policymaking.
Kim Fisher
Chief Behavioral Health Strategy Officer
Melissa Kogut
Vice President of Development
