MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) has awarded the Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH) a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Planning Grant in the amount of $1 million to develop statewide certification criteria for CCBHCs. A CCBHC is a specially designated clinic that receives flexible funding to expand the scope of mental health and substance use services available in the community to ensure health equity and high-quality care for underserved populations.
Alabama’s Community Mental Health Centers and the ADMH have completed assessments to determine their preparedness for the development and implementation of the CCBHC integrated behavioral health care business model with high quality care, practices, and reporting measures. This model will ensure improved access to and delivery of coordinated, comprehensive behavioral health care to all Alabamians.
The Alabama Crisis System of Care will be a foundational component of the CCBHC model, as the state has established six state-funded Crisis Centers, which will be operational in 2023. The CCBHC model is designed to increase access to behavioral health services, including crisis services, that respond to local community needs, incorporate evidence-based practices, and establish care coordination to help people navigate behavioral health care, physical health care, and social services.
Within the year-long period of the grant, the ADMH will work with Alabama’s Community Mental Health Centers to plan a comprehensive behavioral health care business model to reduce disparities; improve access to care for marginalized communities; and develop a payment system that will reward quality over volume. The CCBHC model will also improve integration, reduce siloes and support a sustainable and well-trained behavioral health workforce. A transition to the CCBHC business model will ensure statewide expansion of and access to mental health care for all Alabamians.
