107. Building Rural Behavioral Health Solutions Interview with Kimberly Johnson

In this episode of Stepping In It, we talk with Kimberly Johnson, CEO of Arch Collaborative and founder of the Children’s Legacy Center. Kimberly shares her journey as a mother of five navigating a broken behavioral health system and her work leading reform. We explore rural challenges—from crisis care gaps to lack of infrastructure—and the power of trauma-informed, community-driven solutions to transform care in California’s North State and beyond.In this episode, you will be able to:Discover how lived experience shapes leadership in behavioral health reform.Learn about federal initiatives and workforce development challenges.Understand the role of advocacy in advancing rural and underserved communities.Gain insights from Kimberly Johnson’s impact at both state and national levels.The key moments in this episode are:00:00:09 - Introduction & Guest Kimberly Johnson00:02:15 - Kimberly’s Background & Lived Experience00:06:05 - Federal Perspective on Behavioral Health00:08:27 - Workforce Challenges00:12:16 - Building Systems of Care for Rural Communities00:15:40 - Lessons from the Farm Crisis00:19:05 - Advocacy in Policy Change00:22:11 - Future Directions for Behavioral Health00:25:22 - Closing ThoughtsLinks:https://www.najeralawgroup.com/blog/california-domestic-violence-rate/https://openjustice.doj.ca.gov/exploration/crime-statistics/domestic-violence-related-calls-assistancehttps://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/COVID-19/Crisis-Care-Continuum.aspxhttps://healthpolicy.ucla.edu/our-work/publications/building-californias-comprehensive-988-crisis-system-strategic-blueprint-draft?language=enhttps://www.archcollaborative.org/https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/BHT/Pages/FAQ-Prop1.aspxConnect with Kimberly:https://www.instagram.com/ospshasta/?hl=enhttps://www.instagram.com/childrenslegacycenter/?hl=enhttps://www.instagram.com/kimberlylanelle/?hl=enhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kimberly-l-johnson-7803a374/https://www.linkedin.com/company/archcollaborative/https://www.facebook.com/OneSafePlaceShasta/https://www.facebook.com/childrenslegacycenter/Connect with us: https://ruralpolicypartners.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/linkedin.com/company/rural-policy-partners/ https://www.facebook.com/facebook.com/ruralpolicypartnershttps://www.youtube.com/@ruralpolicypartnersWatch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nWSxR1f3f8I