Funding for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics Extended

Certified community behavioral health clinics (CCBHCs) will continue to receive funding through at least Dec. 20, thanks to a temporary government spending bill President Donald Trump signed Thursday.

National Council for Behavioral Health president and CEO Chuck Ingoglia lauded the move as life-saving for the thousands of people who rely on CCBHCs for care. 

“CCBHCs have proven their value at expanding access to addiction care and reducing overdose deaths, suicides and psychiatric hospitalization in their communities,” Ingoglia said in a press release. “They are also providing 24/7 crisis care along with support for law enforcement officers responding to people in crisis.”

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CCBHCs are Medicaid providers that offer nine types of mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services for patients, regardless of their ability to pay. Some focuses include 24-hour crisis care, evidence-based practices and care coordination.

CCBHCs are reimbursed at higher-than-usual Medicaid rates, with payments including money to help the clinics expand their services and take on new patients.

There are currently 66 CCBHCs operating in eight demonstration states, which include Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon and Pennsylvania.

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Ingoglia went on to stress the importance of future funding for CCBHCs, which have been shown to decrease wait times and improve overall access to care.

“CCBHCs are the model for the future and [Thursday’s] vote keeps them alive for now,” he said. “But they cannot operate without reliable funding. It is essential that Congress moves quickly to pass legislation that sustains and expands CCBHCs for the future.”

The CCBHC program was originally set to end in June 2019.