HHS announces more than $123M in aid for community behavioral health clinics
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Key takeaways:
- HHS to provide $123.6 million for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic expansion.
- Funds expected to bolster 24-hour, 7-day services centered on mental, physical health.
HHS has announced two funding opportunities totaling $123.6 million for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic expansion through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
The funds will assist clinics nationwide to establish and implement new CCBHC programs, as well as to enhance and support existing CCBHCs that currently meet CCBHC Certification Criteria, HHS said in a release.
CCBHCs are required to provide a range of behavioral and other health services, including crisis mediation, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The clinics are empowered to treat those in crisis as soon as possible and are required to provide routine outpatient care within 10 business days after initial contact to prevent issues which may arise from placement on waiting lists, HHS said.
“CCBHCs are transforming behavioral health systems in this country, and we know that the model of care works,” Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, PhD, HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA, stated in the release. “Data show in the first 6 months of receiving care, CCBHCs decrease homelessness, decrease the amount of time spent in correctional facilities, decrease the time spent in emergency rooms for behavioral health issues, decrease inpatient hospitalization for mental health treatment and decrease the use of illegal substances.”
Last week, HHS awarded 15 states each with $1 million, 1-year CCBHC planning grants, the first time such funding has been available since the program began in 2015. In 2024, up to 10 states that received the grants are expected to participate in the CCBHC Medicaid demonstration program and receive enhanced Medicaid reimbursement, per the release.
CCBHCs were originally funded under Medicaid beginning in 2017, with an initial rollout of 67 centers operating in eight states. Today, more than 500 CCBHCs exist in 46 states, the District of Columbia, Guam and Puerto Rico.
“The expansion of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics is part of President Biden’s commitment to expand and strengthen equitable access to behavioral health services for all Americans,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in the release. “These clinics serve anyone who requests care for mental health or substance use, regardless of their ability to pay, and connect people to the care they need.”