CCBHCs: A New Behavioral Health Care Model Combatting SUD
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) are specially-designated clinics that provide a wide range of mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services.
Currently, there are over 500 CCBHCs in the U.S. across 46 states—a dramatic increase since they were first established in 2017. And there are plans to continue their expansion.[1]
In September 2022, the Biden-Harris administration awarded $300 million to develop new and existing CCBHCs. In October 2022, the president announced that an additional $15 million in grants will be awarded early next year for CCBHC expansion and planning.[2]
While CCBHCs focus on providing behavioral health care, they also help people gain access to physical health care, social services, housing, educational systems, foster care, employment opportunities, and other providers and systems as needed.[3]
CCBHCs have drastically increased access to SUD and mental health treatments, providing those with limited resources life-saving care they otherwise wouldn’t be able to obtain. They’ve also improved partnerships between public entities to improve care and increased states’ ability to address the SUD crisis.
What Services Do CCBHCs Offer?
There are nine types of behavioral health services that CCBHCs are required to provide, either directly or by partnering with other providers and organizations. These services include:[4]
- Screening, assessment, diagnosis, and risk assessment for mental health conditions and SUD
- Primary care screening and monitoring
- Crisis care mental health services
- Patient-centered treatment planning
- Outpatient mental health and substance use services
- Targeted case management
- Psychiatric rehabilitation services
- Peer support, counseling, and family support services
- Veteran services
The range of services CCBHCs provide is necessary to stabilize people in crisis and provide treatment for those with complex mental illnesses.
How CHESS Health Is Aligned with CCBHCs
CHESS Health supports multiple CCBHCs with our evidence-based smartphone apps, which help individuals with SUD get the care they need, adhere to their treatment plans, and maintain recovery.
We’ve found our partnerships with CCBHCs to be very effective, as our models are closely aligned in the following ways:
#1: Evidence-based
CCBHCs ensure access to evidence-based substance use disorder and mental health services, including medication-assisted treatment (MAT).
Likewise, scientific evidence is at the heart of CHESS Health’s apps: Connections, and the Spanish language version, Conexiones. Our solution’s effectiveness has been validated in multiple scientific studies.
#2: Early Screening
One of the nine core services CCBHCs are required to offer is screening for SUD and mental health issues. As with other health issues, early diagnosis is key to obtaining better outcomes.
CHESS Health also believes in the power of early screening to better control the substance abuse crisis. That’s why we introduced ePrevention, which improves upon the clinical practice of SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment) by:
- Enabling more screening to occur across a community
- Offering self-screening tools
- Delivering more and better interventions
- Facilitating closed-loop referrals to treatment
Individuals can perform the screening anonymously online through a web link, which has been shown to elicit more honest answers than in-person screening.
#3: On-Demand, Inclusive Care
As mentioned above, one of the most unique features of CCBHCs is that they serve anyone who requests care for mental health or substance abuse, regardless of factors like insurance status, ability to pay, age, place of residence, and diagnosis. Additionally, CCBHCs offer crisis services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Similarly, CHESS Health understands that crises happen at all times of day and night. As such, our app-based communities are monitored 24/7. We offer specialized communities – such as for Spanish-speakers, teens, and pregnant women/new parents.
#4: Peer Support
CCBHCs and CHESS Health share in the belief that peer support is a key ingredient in recovery. CCBCHS are required to offer their patients peer support services, which are designed and delivered by individuals who have experienced a mental or substance use disorder and are in recovery.
At CHESS Health, our apps are staffed by certified peer recovery specialists who have lived experience in SUD, offer 24/7 support, and moderate lively discussion groups and video support meetings.
Gaining support, tips, and insight from someone who’s successfully maintaining recovery can go a long way in inspiring and leading another person toward recovery.
How CHESS Health Is Working with CCBHCs and Community Partners
In addition to providing CCBHCs with effective tools for services like screening, closed-loop referrals, and peer support, CHESS Health supports CCBHCs and community partners in many innovative ways, including:
- Community re-entry: 70% of CCBHCs provide those in jail or prison pre-release supports, such as screening and referrals, to ensure continuity of care upon community re-entry.[5] CHESS Health works with multiple programs to provide support for community re-entry services after incarceration.
- First responder support: CHESS Health equips first responders, including local fire departments, with tools that help them refer individuals in their care to the necessary treatment.
- Prison diversion program support: CHESS Health supports prison diversion programs in a number of ways, such as connecting drug courts and other entities with behavioral health and MAT providers.
Connect with CHESS Health
As CCBHCs continue to expand across the country, CHESS Health aims to partner with more of these clinics to help those with SUD successfully navigate the path to long-lasting recovery.
If you’re interested in learning more about the life-saving technology we offer, get in touch with CHESS Health today.
References:
- https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/program/ccbhc-success-center/ccbhc-overview/
- https://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/press-announcements/20221018/biden-harris-administration-announces-funding-states-tackle-mental-health-crisis
- https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/programs_campaigns/ccbhc-criteria.pdf
- https://www.samhsa.gov/certified-community-behavioral-health-clinics
- https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/2021-CCBHC-Impact-Report1.pdf
