ALABAMA AWARDED GRANT TO DEVELOP
STATEWIDE CRITERIA FOR
CERTIFIED COMMUNITY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CLINICS
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 one million dollars to develop statewide certification criteria for CCBHCs. A Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic 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 healthcare business model with high-quality care, practices, and reporting measures. This model will ensure improved access to and delivery of coordinated, comprehensive behavioral healthcare 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 healthcare, physical healthcare, 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 healthcare 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 silos and support a sustainable and well-trained behavioral health workforce. A transition to the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic business model will ensure the statewide expansion of and access to mental healthcare for all Alabamians.