Alabama Path to CCBHC
On March 31, 2014, Congress passed the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (H.R. 4302) (PAMA), which included a demonstration program based on the Excellence in Mental Health Act. The legislation created criteria for “Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics” (CCBHCs).As of March 2023, there are more than 500 CCBHCs operating in 46 states, plus Puerto Rico, Washington D.C. and Guam.
A Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (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 and unserved populations. Alabama’s transition to this new, integrated business model of behavioral health care began in March 2023 with the award of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) CCBHC Planning Grant. Through this funding, the Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH) spearheaded several planning and readiness activities that has positioned the state to be an optimal site for SAMHSA CCBHC Demonstration.
Understanding the severe gaps in Alabama’s Behavioral Health continuum, ADMH began preparing to become a CCBHC demonstration state prior to receipt of the planning grant, commissioning a needs assessment in early 2022 to gain a full and objective picture of the service gaps in the state. This needs assessment served to guide the selection of our CCBHC impact goals and provided a roadmap for planning grant activities. ADMH has worked diligently over the past several years to identify gaps in services and to incrementally adjust the system toward supporting an integrated approach to mental health and substance use disorder (MH and SUD) treatment, thus establishing six state-funded Crisis Centers that serve as a foundational component of the CCBHC model. The CCBHC model will also improve integration, reduce silos and support a sustainable and well-trained behavioral health workforce.
ADMH sees the CCBHC model as a driving force that will assist in transforming our Behavioral Health Care continuum. Through Alabama’s participation in the SAMHSA Demonstration program which began on July 1, 2024, ADMH’s long-term goal is to have all 19 Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) become CCBHCs that will support statewide access to high-quality, accessible, and integrated care for all. Understanding this is a major paradigm shift for our CMHCs, the ADMH has prepared a robust CCBHC certification process that will help to develop the readiness capacity of CMHCs statewide.
