The Biden administration has announced that it is expanding the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Medicaid demonstration program to 10 new states.

The CCBHC Medicaid program offers community-based behavioral health intervention programs. Prior to the announcement, 8 states were in the CCBHC Medicaid demonstration program. People experiencing a mental health or substance use disorder crisis can also access 24/7 crisis intervention services through CCBHCs.

The expansion, a joint effort by The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is funded through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. This act authorized HHS to add 10 new CCBHCs to the Medicaid demonstration program every two years.

“CCBHCs provide a model of care that supports wellness for the entire community and connects people to care. They guarantee access to services to individuals and families regardless of ability to pay,” Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, HHS assistant secretary for mental health and substance use and the leader of SAMHSA, said in a statement. “Equity is a significant and overarching priority in all that we do, and expanding and improving the CCBHC model across America helps us to continue our path forward to make quality behavioral health care for everyone even more widely available.”

The new states in the demonstration are Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Rhode Island and Vermont.

According to a new report released by the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, CCBHCs across the country, which include both Medicaid and non-Medicaid grantees, are showing some promising results regarding access to services and care coordination.

Nationwide there are 495 active CCBHCs, which serve roughly 3 million people, representing continued yearly growth, according to the report. Medicaid CCBHCs in particular have seen an increase in the number of people served, increasing by 33%.

Roughly a quarter of CCBHCs surveyed in the report said the number of children and youth clients they served increased substantially. Additionally, 16% of CCBHCs reported expanding access to care among uninsured people.

“In light of the surging need for services and support among young people in the U.S., the CCBHC model may provide an important strategy for increasing their access to care, along with improved coordination across organizations serving children, youth and families,” the report said.

It’s not only mental health services that CCBHCs are offering. The centers also provide extensive substance use disorder (SUD) programs. A whopping 87% of CCBHC providers provide medication-assisted treatment and 68% of the centers said their number of clients that are engaged in MAT services for opioid use disorder has increased since becoming a CCBHC.

A core tenet of CCBHCs is integrating behavioral health and primary care. The report found that the vast majority of CCBHC providers, either directly or in partnership with a primary care provider, conducted health screenings.

Beyond health care screenings, 40% of providers offer care coordination with primary care partners. Another 27.9% said their CCBHC is also a comprehensive primary care provider and 21.9% said they have a co-location arrangement with a primary care service.

“Through their ability to expand access to comprehensive mental health, substance use and crisis care services, provide integrated care that focuses on the whole person, and closely partner with hospitals, law enforcement and schools, CCBHCs help ensure everyone in their communities has equitable access to high-quality care, when and where they need it,” authors of the report wrote.