08/11/2026
The Clubhouse of Lehigh County applauds Governor Josh Shapiro and the Pennsylvania Behavioral Health Council for recognizing the critical importance of expanding access to community-based behavioral health services.
Goal #2 of Pennsylvania’s new Behavioral Health Council Action Plan focuses on expanding access to services and strengthening the community-based supports that can help Pennsylvanians receive assistance before a situation becomes a behavioral health crisis.
This is exactly where the Clubhouse Model can make a difference.
For individuals living with serious mental illness, recovery does not happen only in a hospital, therapist’s office, or crisis center. Recovery happens in the community—through relationships, meaningful work, employment, education, wellness, social connection, and having a place where you know you belong.
Research supports this approach.
A systematic review of 52 Clubhouse studies found evidence supporting positive outcomes in employment, quality of life, social relationships, and psychiatric hospitalization. Importantly, randomized controlled trial evidence supported the effectiveness of the Clubhouse Model in reducing psychiatric hospitalizations.
More recently, a 2025 study examining Clubhouse participation following psychiatric hospitalization found an eightfold reduction in rehospitalization during the subsequent 90-day period among members who began and engaged in Clubhouse services. Their 90-day psychiatric readmission rate was approximately 50% lower than the broader behavioral health system population used for comparison.
These outcomes matter.
Every hospitalization that can be safely prevented represents more than a reduction in healthcare costs. It represents a person remaining connected to their family, employment, education, friends, and community.
As Pennsylvania works to implement Governor Shapiro’s Behavioral Health Action Plan, we believe Clubhouses should be an important part of the Commonwealth’s strategy for strengthening community-based mental health services and reducing unnecessary hospitalization.
Pennsylvania already has a model designed to do this work. Now is the time to strengthen it, expand access to it, and ensure that more Pennsylvanians living with serious mental illness have access to a Clubhouse community.
Governor Shapiro’s 2026 Behavioral Health Council Action Plan:
https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/governor/behavioral-health-council/2026-behavioral-health-council-action-plan.pdf
Clubhouse International Research:
https://clubhouse-intl.org/what-we-do/research/
2025 Research – Impact of Clubhouses in Reducing Psychiatric Readmission Risk:
https://clubhouse-intl.org/recent-research/
