Carelon Behavioral Health & OPEN MINDS Partner To Advance Best Practice Crisis Systems Of Care
GETTYSBURG, Pa. (August 17, 2025) — OPEN MINDS and Carelon Behavioral Health announced today their continuing partnership to support world-class behavioral health crisis service delivery. Carelon’s crisis service solutions integrate proprietary, advanced technology and system management with direct crisis care delivery for a rapid, caring response to individuals and families experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis. The renewed collaboration builds on a multi-year relationship that promotes quality, compassion and accountability for publicly-funded crisis service systems.
“We recognize the vital importance of prompt access to care for people suffering an acute behavioral health episode,” says Jeff Hite, who leads the National Crisis Center of Excellence for Carelon. “At Carelon, we’re committed to supporting every community’s unique vision for a rapid response that links people quickly to care, produces positive outcomes and restores hope when individuals are in their darkest hour. We do this by partnering with first responders, local mental health providers and community partners to provide a full spectrum of crisis services, from 1-800 call centers and mobile crisis teams to stabilization centers that offer a healing environment and keep people with acute behavioral health needs out of hospital emergency rooms.”
Data shows that a strong crisis system of care also reduces downstream costs for Medicaid and other payers. That’s why Carelon pioneered the Crisis Administrative Service Organization (crisis ASO) model, which serves as an “air traffic control” center and provides oversight of the crisis system. Using technology, the ASO can link multiple crisis providers and services within a single proprietary platform, which enables closed-loop referrals. This proprietary crisis ASO offers a one-stop solution for crisis management that includes provider management, blended and braided funding, quality oversight, and data analytics that can guide a state to a more efficient and effective system.
As an Educational Partner, Carelon Behavioral Health hosts the Crisis Management and Technology Resource Center with OPEN MINDS, an on-line learning community for organizations developing or expanding their behavioral health crisis service offerings. Carelon is also a key sponsor of the OPEN MINDS’ 2025 Institute series.
“Carelon is a national leader in building a comprehensive continuum of services for behavioral health crisis,” says Monica E. Oss, CEO of OPEN MINDS. “We look forward to a continued, strong collaboration with Carelon to bring best-in-class resources and thought leadership to states and communities seeking assistance with the development, funding, and management of crisis services.”
About Carelon
Carelon Behavioral Health offers clinical mental health and substance use disorder management, a comprehensive employee assistance program, work/life support, specialty programs for autism and depression, and insightful analytics to improve the delivery of care for federal, state and local governments, health plans and employers. Carelon Behavioral Health has been delivering high-quality behavioral healthcare for more than 40 years across all 50 states and is a division under Carelon, part of the Elevance Health family of brands. For more information, visit www.carelonbehavioralhealth.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
About OPEN MINDS
OPEN MINDS is a national market intelligence, management consulting, and marketing services firm specializing exclusively in the markets of the health and human service field that serve consumers with chronic conditions and complex support needs. OPEN MINDS mission is to provide payers, service provider organizations, and technology and scientific firms that serve these consumers with the market and management knowledge needed to improve their organizational efficiency and effectiveness.