Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health in Nursing Facilities

What Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health in Nursing Facilities does

The Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health in Nursing Facilities (COE-NF) was a 3-year national initiative (September 2022 to September 2025) developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in partnership with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and administered through a cooperative agreement with Alliant Health Solutions. The program was funded by SAMHSA grant no. H79SM087155 and provided free mental health and substance use training, customized technical assistance, and educational resources to CMS-certified nursing facilities that care for residents with Serious Mental Illness (SMI), Substance Use Disorder (SUD), and Co-Occurring Disorders (COD).

COE-NF's product surface consisted of a unified content and service library rather than a proprietary technology platform. Core offerings included live virtual training events, archived training recordings, on-demand bite-sized learning videos, the 'Better Mental Wellbeing' podcast series, in-service toolkits (de-escalation and substance use disorder), one-on-one technical assistance consultations with regional behavioral specialists, monthly newsletters, and the Behavioral Health Action Network. Delivery was primarily through a WordPress-based public website (nursinghomebehavioralhealth.org), Vimeo-hosted video content, downloadable PDF resources, and social media channels; no proprietary software, APIs, or AI/ML systems are disclosed.

The business model was non-commercial and entirely grant-funded: all services and resources were provided at no cost to CMS-certified nursing facilities. Revenue mechanics depended on a single federal grant channel via SAMHSA, with CMS providing co-development and post-grant content hosting support. The program ceased accepting new consultation requests on September 15, 2025, ended continuing education credit issuance on September 23, 2025, and formally concluded on September 29, 2025. Alliant Health Solutions continues to host the resource library on a passive basis through September 2026.

Name

Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health in Nursing Facilities

Legal name

Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health in Nursing Facilities (COE-NF)

Website

https://nursinghomebehavioralhealth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

COE-NF was a 3-year SAMHSA- and CMS-funded initiative, administered by Alliant Health Solutions, that provided free mental health and substance use training, technical assistance, and educational resources to CMS-certified nursing facilities caring for residents with behavioral health conditions across 10 U.S. regions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Behavioral Health Training and Technical Assistance for Nursing Facilities

NAICS

Nursing and Residential Care Facilities (623)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Integrated Behavioral Health (Collaborative Care) Platforms (HLALAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nursing Homes (Non-SNF) (HLAFAFAC), Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services (HLAFACAN)

Keywords

• Nursing facility training
• Behavioral health services
• Mental health resources
• Substance use training
• Technical assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Grant-Funded Operations: COE-NF was a 3-year initiative funded by grant no. H79SM087155 from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), developed in partnership with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and administered by Alliant Health Solutions through a cooperative agreement with SAMHSA. The program began in September 2022 and ended in September 2025. All services, training, and resources were provided at no cost to CMS-certified nursing facilities. Resources and training content will continue to be available on the website through September 2026.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

COE-NF provided free mental health and substance use training, customized technical assistance, and evidence-based resources to CMS-certified nursing facilities caring for residents with behavioral health conditions including Serious Mental Illness (SMI), Substance Use Disorder (SUD), and Co-Occurring Disorders (COD). Offerings included live virtual training events, on-demand bite-sized learning videos, training recordings, in-service toolkits, podcasts, and one-on-one consultations delivered by regional behavioral specialists across 10 U.S. regions at no cost to participating facilities.

Product overview

The Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health in Nursing Facilities (COE-NF) was a 3-year initiative (September 2022 - September 2025) funded by SAMHSA and administered by Alliant Health Solutions. The organization offers a unified platform of educational products and services including Live Trainings, Training Recordings, On-Demand Videos (bite-sized learnings and modules), Podcasts, In-Service Toolkits (De-Escalation Strategies and Substance Use Disorder), Technical Assistance Consultations, COE-NF In-Action Consultation Summaries, Monthly Newsletters, Behavioral Health Action Network, and Office Hours. All resources focus on improving mental health and substance use care for nursing facility residents with Serious Mental Illness (SMI), Substance Use Disorder (SUD), and Co-Occurring Disorders (COD). Resources include practical tools like the Comfort Menu and Nonverbal Communication Guide. The program ended September 29, 2025, with resources hosted through September 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Training Recordings Recorded sessions of live virtual training events covering foundational knowledge in behavioral health and substance use topics for nursing facility staff; freely accessible through the COE-NF website.
• On-Demand Videos Bite-sized learning modules (5-10 minute narrated presentations) and full-length modules (15-20 minutes) on mental health conditions, substance use disorders, and care strategies for nursing facility residents; freely accessible.
• Live Trainings Real-time virtual training events on behavioral health topics offered during the grant period, with continuing education credits (ACCME, NAB) for nursing facility staff.
• Podcasts Podcast series titled 'Better Mental Wellbeing' featuring behavioral health topics with subject matter experts and individuals with lived experience.
• In-Service Toolkits Comprehensive training toolkits including De-Escalation Strategies In-Service Toolkit and Substance Use Disorder In-Service Toolkit designed to guide facility education leads through training processes.
• Technical Assistance Consultations One-on-one consultations with COE-NF regional behavioral specialists providing customized support to nursing facilities on mental health and substance use issues; available at no cost during the grant period.
• COE-NF In-Action Consultation Summaries Case study summaries demonstrating how COE-NF provided mental health and substance use support to nursing facilities, showcasing consultation outcomes and best practices.
• Monthly Newsletters Monthly newsletter providing updates on training events, resources, grant information, and behavioral health initiatives for nursing facilities.
• Behavioral Health Action Network Network providing ongoing support, collaboration, and resources for behavioral health initiatives in nursing facilities.
• Office Hours Scheduled open sessions for nursing facility staff to receive guidance and support from COE-NF specialists on behavioral health topics.
• Comfort Menu Resource guide identifying non-pharmacological ways to reduce anxiety, discomfort, and pain without using medications; available in English and Spanish.
• Nonverbal Communication Guide Resource guide exploring do's and don'ts of nonverbal communication for supporting residents with mental health needs, available in English and Spanish.

Quantifiable outcome

• 36.35% knowledge increase from pre-test to post-test in trauma-informed care training for 25 activity directors across 40 facilities
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association (PALTmed)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025COE-NF collaborated with PALTmed on the 'Embedding Behavioral Health in Post-Acute Care Teams' training and a follow-up podcast (Moving Beyond Traditional Consult Models), gathering clinical and operational leaders for interactive discussions on behavioral health integration in post-acute care.
• Alliant Health SolutionscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 September 2022Alliant Health Solutions administered the COE-NF program through a cooperative agreement with SAMHSA. It served as the primary operational partner responsible for program management, staffing (regional behavioral specialists), resource development, and website maintenance. Alliant Health Solutions continues to host COE-NF resources on the website through September 2026 at no cost.
• CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2022CMS co-developed the COE-NF initiative alongside SAMHSA, contributing regulatory and policy expertise specific to nursing facility standards and Medicare/Medicaid requirements. CMS will host COE-NF training materials on its website after the grant period.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• HealthStream: HealthStream is a healthcare workforce development and training platform serving hospitals, health systems, and post-acute providers. Its compliance, clinical, and behavioral health training offerings overlap with COE-NF's curriculum focus on regulatory compliance and staff skill-building in nursing facilities.
• LeadingAge: LeadingAge is a national association of nonprofit aging services providers, including nursing homes. It provides workforce training, behavioral health resources, and policy advocacy for its member organizations, serving an analogous audience to COE-NF's CMS-certified nursing facility end users.
• Relias: Relias is a leading SaaS-based healthcare workforce training and compliance platform serving behavioral health, post-acute, and aging services providers. It delivers continuing education, competency assessments, and mandated training that overlaps with COE-NF's training content and target end users.
• American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL): AHCA/NCAL is the largest national trade association representing skilled nursing and assisted living providers. It offers behavioral health training, quality improvement resources, and regulatory guidance to member facilities, overlapping directly with COE-NF's mission of equipping nursing facility staff with behavioral health capabilities.

Emerging players

• MedBridge: MedBridge is an online continuing education and patient engagement platform for healthcare professionals across physical therapy, occupational therapy, and nursing. It serves skilled nursing facility staff with clinical and behavioral training content, overlapping with COE-NF's continuing education offerings for nursing facility audiences.
• National Council for Mental Wellbeing: The National Council is a behavioral health advocacy and technical assistance organization serving community mental health and substance use providers. It offers training, certification, and integration resources (e.g., the Four Quadrant Clinical Integration Model) that align with COE-NF's collaborative care approach for SMI and SUD populations in nursing settings.

Direct peers

• Alliant Health Solutions: Alliant Health Solutions is the parent organization and cooperative agreement holder that administered COE-NF. It is a healthcare consulting and quality improvement firm serving nursing facilities, hospitals, and community health providers, making it the closest direct comparator as both the operational backbone and a potential commercialization vehicle.
• Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association (PALTmed): PALTmed (formerly AMDA) is the medical specialty society for post-acute and long-term care practitioners. COE-NF collaborated with PALTmed on the 'Embedding Behavioral Health in Post-Acute Care Teams' training, and the organizations share overlapping audiences of post-acute care clinicians and behavioral health integration content.

Market position

Strengths3 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NursingHomeBH
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCgnRi9EFB9rXApnIUwS09sw
• Facebookfacebook.com/NursingHomeBH
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nursinghomebh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health in Nursing Facilities