The 2027 WGA Chair initiative of Hawaiʻi Governor Josh Green will focus on strengthening mental health outcomes across the West by addressing clinical care and the broader conditions that shape mental health and well-being. To advance this vision, the initiative will examine strategies to improve mental health access and delivery, prioritize prevention and early intervention, expand coverage and affordability of mental health services and supports, and build lifelong well-being and community resilience.
If you are interested in supporting this year’s WGA Chair Initiative: Health Beyond Healthcare, please contact Sarah Olsen, Director of Development at [email protected].
North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong hosted the first Health Beyond Healthcare initiative workshop in Bismarck, North Dakota.
It featured a conversation between Governor Armstrong and WGA Executive Director Jack Waldorf, as well as discussions on youth mental health with North Dakota First Lady Kjersti Armstrong and Lieutenant Governor Michelle Strinden. Additional panels examined community-based care, criminal justice deflection and diversion, behavioral health integration, the digital transformation of the mental health system, and policy pathways for peer support.
The Western Governors’ Association (WGA) represents the Governors of the 22 westernmost states and territories. WGA is an instrument of the Governors for bipartisan policy development, information exchange, and collective action on issues of critical importance to the West.
The initiative of Hawaiʻi Governor Josh Green will examine strategies to improve mental healthcare access and delivery, prioritize prevention and early intervention, expand coverage and affordability of mental health services and supports, and build lifelong wellbeing and community resilience.
This survey is intended to help WGA design and execute the initiative by identifying: (1) the effects of current approaches on mental health outcomes in the West; (2) priority issues for gubernatorial leadership to consider in addressing comprehensive mental health services and resources; (3) best practices for improving mental health outcomes; (4) federal policy issues for potential WGA advocacy; and (5) individuals or organizations interested in participating in the initiative, including workshops and webinars.
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Upon becoming Chair of the Western Governors' Association (WGA) at the 2026 Annual Meeting, Hawai’i Governor Josh Green launched a yearlong bipartisan policy initiative, entitled Health Beyond Healthcare, aimed at improving mental health outcomes by expanding access to care while addressing the broader factors that shape health and well-being.
Recognizing that clinical care alone accounts for only a portion of overall health outcomes, the Health Beyond Healthcare initiative will examine how housing, early intervention, education, workforce development, community connections, and other social and environmental factors influence mental health, while identifying strategies that improve access to quality healthcare and long-term well-being.
"Access to healthcare is one of the defining challenges facing the West," said Governor Green. "But health doesn't begin in a doctor’s office. It begins where we live, learn, work, and play. Through this initiative, we have an opportunity to work together across state lines to improve access to care, strengthen our communities and advance practical, bipartisan solutions that improve lives."
Watch Governor Green speak about the inspiration behind the Health Beyond Healthcare initiative in the video below.
