Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics

Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) are specially designated clinics that provide a comprehensive range of mental health and substance use services.

CCBHCs are a unique care model, designed to improve mental health and substance use outcomes by providing:

  • A one-stop-shop. People don't have to piece together the support they need because CCBHCs offer a wide range of mental health and substance use services in one place.
  • Increased access to care. CCBHCs break through old limitations and deliver care outside the four walls of the clinic by using mobile units to meet patients where they are (including schools). They serve anyone who walks through the door, regardless of their diagnosis or insurance status.
  • Care coordination. CCBHCs help people navigate behavioral health care, physical health care, social services, and the other systems to get the support they need.

Services

There are 9 required services that CCBHCs must offer, either directly or through a formal partnership. These include:

  1. Crisis Services
  2. Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Use Services
  3. Person- and Family-Centered Treatment Planning
  4. Community-Based Mental Health Care for Veterans
  5. Peer Family Support and Counselor Services
  6. Care Coordination
  7. Outpatient Primary Care Screening and Monitoring
  8. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services
  9. Screening, Diagnosis and Risk Assessment

Where to Find a CCBHC

North Carolina currently has 5 DHHS-funded CCBHC grantees that regularly meet with DMH/DD/SUS staff to discuss certification criteria and challenges. This map will be updated as clinics begin receiving North Carolina CCBHC certification.

 

What to do if you are not near these clinics

You are not alone. Get support for social or family situations, depression, anxiety, thoughts of suicide, alcohol or drug use, or if you just need someone to talk to.

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Evolution of CCBHCs in North Carolina

The Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services (DMH/DD/SUS) has recognized the value of CCBHCs for more than 10 years. As part of the 2024-2029 Strategic Plan, DMH/DD/SUS is renewing its focus on CCBHCs as a way to increase access to integrated care statewide.

In 2022, DMH/DD/SUS began funding 5 prospective CCBHCs using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). In March 2023, North Carolina was one of only 15 states awarded SAMHSA’s CCBHC Planning Grant and is making significant headway in creating the North Carolina CCBHC certification to apply for the SAMHSA CCBHC Demonstration in 2026.

This federal program only accepts a few states. These states must demonstrate the ability to certify their clinics using their state CCBHC certification process. State certifications are tailored to the unique needs of their communities and behavioral health systems. As part of the demonstration, clinics and states are required to collect and report data on the effectiveness of their model which impacts future policy decisions. Additionally, participating clinics receive enhanced Medicaid reimbursement rates, which are intended to help expand and improve services.

Over the course of the 2024-2025 planning year, the proposed project will:

  1. Design a comprehensive scope of evidence-based clinical models that aligns with the needs of North Carolinians
  2. Establish a prospective payment system for Medicaid reimbursable services (a payment model that incentivizes efficiency, cost control, and quality of care)
  3. Certify community behavioral health clinics
  4. Develop an application for a two-year demonstration program to submit in 2026

In the coming months, DMH/DD/SUS will provide guidance to providers on how to apply to become a CCBHC. Only organizations who currently receive CCBHC grant funding (state or federal) will be eligible for the initial wave of applications. Clinics will be certified based on the required criteria developed by SAMHSA and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. These include staffing, availability, access to services, care coordination, scope of services, quality and other reporting, and organizational authority.

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