We are a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic
In April 2017, we became a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC). Since becoming a CCBHC, we have added 13+ new positions to support our increased access to services. We now employ over 95 staff with a $7 million+ budget and return 70% of that budget back into the local economy between salaries, benefits, goods, and services. Without CCBHC funding, we would not have had the infrastructure to support the increased need for services.
What is a Certified Community Behavior Health Clinic?
Certified Community Behavior Health Clinics were created through Section 223 of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA), which established a demonstration program based on the Excellence in Mental Health Act. The Excellence in Mental Health Act or the Section 223 demonstration program is a two-year, 8-state initiative to expand Americans' access to mental health and substance use disorder care in community-based settings.
The Excellence Act established a federal definition and criteria for CCBHCs and stipulated that CCBHCs may receive an enhanced Medicaid reimbursement rate based on their anticipated costs of care. CCBHCs are responsible for directly providing (or contracting with partner organizations to provide) nine required types of services, with an emphasis on the provision of 24-hour crisis care, utilization of evidence-based practices, care coordination, and integration with physical health care. Ultimately, the demonstration program is expected to infuse more than $1.1 billion into community-based services, making it the largest investment in mental health and addiction care in generations.
As the two-year demonstration came to a close, we worked with our national representatives to ensure they understand the impact this has had on our community and supported the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Expansion Act. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (passed and signed into law in June 2022) expands CCBHCs nationwide by allowing any state or territory the opportunity to apply to participate in the demonstration program while allocating additional planning grant monies for states to develop proposals to participate. Learn more about this Act and funding model.
The CCBHC Medicaid demonstration is scheduled to expire on September 30, 2023, for states receiving the enhanced match. We are working with the National Council of Mental Wellbeing in urging Congress to further extend and expand the program.
Learn More on How to Take Action in Expanding CCBHC Model
