Skip to main content


U.S. flag
      An official website of the United States government
              Here’s how you know
        Here’s how you knowDot gov**Official websites use .gov**
                 A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
                  HTTPS**Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
                 A **lock** (A locked padlock) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. 
  Menu Close
          HHS Search block
    Search
        








  
  
    

  
      

                                      About HHS
    
                        
                              
      
      
      Programs & Services
    
                        
                              
      
      
      Grants & Contracts
    
                        
                              
      
      
      Laws & Regulations Breadcrumb
    Home
                              About
                              News
                              HHS Awards CCBHC Planning Grants to 15 States to Help Address Ongoing Mental Health Crisis
 Navigate to:
  News
    
                                    
                                            
            
      
      
      
      Blog
    
                                    
                                            
            
      
      
      
      HHS Live
    
                                    
                                            
            
      
      
      
      Podcasts
    
                                    
                                            
            
      
      
      
      Media Guidelines for HHS EmployeesText resize icon

                    




**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 16, 2023**

        **Contact: 
                                    HHS Press Office**
          202-690-6343media@hhs.gov

          HHS Awards CCBHC Planning Grants to 15 States to Help Address Ongoing Mental Health Crisis
    
    

      ***Note to reporters and editors:****Video b-roll of a CCBHC****is available for download and use in reporting, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).*

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), today awarded 15 states each with $1 million, one-year Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) planning grants. This announcement marks the first time these planning grants have been available since the program began in 2015.

The 15 states selected are Alabama, Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia. In 2024, up to 10 of those will participate in the CCBHC Medicaid demonstration program and receive enhanced Medicaid reimbursement.

“The expansion of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics is part of President Biden’s commitment to expand and strengthen equitable behavioral health for all Americans,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “These clinics serve anyone who requests care for mental health or substance use, regardless of their ability to pay, and connect people to the care they need.”

CCBHCs were created to transform mental health and substance use treatment across the country and provide sustainable funding for robust community outpatient mental health treatment. The full CCBHC demonstration program provides reimbursement through Medicaid for the full cost of services that CCBHCs provide, at higher, more competitive rates than community mental health centers previously received. This sustainable funding also ensures they can provide a more comprehensive range of services rather than fragmented services driven by billing codes.

Funding for the CCBHC state planning grants was authorized by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) in 2022 to address the country’s mental health crisis. CCBHCs provide crisis services that are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and serve anyone who requests care for mental health or substance use, regardless of their ability to pay. This expansion of CCBHCs builds on the Administration’s previous work to launch the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline and further builds the crisis continuum of care. In September, SAMHSA awarded nearly $300 million in funding for new and existing CCBHCs, to include funding for 150 new CCBHCs. Additional funding opportunities for CCHBCs is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Today’s announcement is the first of two rounds of awards. Another notice of funding opportunity to award 15 additional states with planning grants is expected to be posted in Fiscal Year 2025.

Ten of the 15 states that received planning grants will be able to join the CCBHC demonstration program in 2024 after a separate application process. While only 10 states will join the initiative in 2024, states will have another chance to join the CCBHC demonstration in 2026. The CCBHC planning phase assists states in certifying clinics as CCBHCs, establish prospective payment systems for Medicaid reimbursable services, and prepare an application to participate in a four-year demonstration program.

“CCBHCs are transforming behavioral health systems in this country, and we know that the model of care works,” said Miriam Delphin-Rittmon, Ph.D., HHS Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use and the leader of SAMHSA. “Data shows in the first six months of receiving care, CCBHCs decrease homelessness, decrease the amount of time spent in correctional facilities, decrease the time spent in emergency rooms for behavioral health issues, decrease inpatient hospitalization for mental health treatment and decrease the use of illegal substances.”

Eight states are currently participating in the demonstration: Michigan, Missouri, Kentucky, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, and Oregon.

In 2017, the first CCBHCs were funded under Medicaid with 67 operating in eight states. Today, there are more than 500 CCBHCs, in 46 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico.

CCBHCs are required to meet federal standards for the range of services that they provide, and they are required to get people into care quickly. CCBHCs must see people in crisis immediately and provide routine outpatient care within 10 business days after an initial contact to prevent people from languishing on waiting lists. CCBHCs must also ensure access to a comprehensive range of services, providing care coordination when needed and incorporating evidence-based practices and other supports based on a community needs assessment. Equally important, CCBHCs are required to serve anyone who requests care for mental health or substance use, regardless of their ability to pay, place of residence, or age, including developmentally appropriate care for children and youth.

Anyone seeking treatment for mental health or substance use issues should call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357) or visit findtreatment.samhsa.gov.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org.
  

    ###
    Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other news materials are available at https://www.hhs.gov/news.Like HHS on Facebook, follow HHS on Twitter @HHSgov, and sign up for HHS Email Updates.Last revised: October 19, 2023

  
  
  







  Sign Up for Email Updates

Receive the latest updates from the Secretary, Blogs, and News Releases

Sign Up







  Subscribe to RSS
    

      Receive latest updates







  Related News Releases
    

      Biden-Harris Administration Awards $45.1 Million to Expand Mental Health and Substance Use Services Across the Lifespan
  

Kids Online Health and Safety Task Force Announces Recommendations and Best Practices for Safe Internet Use
  

Biden-Harris Administration Launching Initiative to Build Multi-state Social Worker Licensure Compact to Increase Access to Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Address Workforce Shortages







  Related Blog Posts
    

      The HHS Office for Civil Rights Celebrates National Recovery Month

                    
  


Media Inquiries

For general media inquiries, please contact media@hhs.gov.







  Content created by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Content last reviewed October 19, 2023 Back to top
    Contact HHS
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      Careers
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      HHS FAQs
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      Nondiscrimination NoticeHHS Archive
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      Accessibility Statement
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      Privacy Policy
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      Viewers & PlayersBudget/Performance
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      Inspector General
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      Web Site Disclaimers
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      EEO/No Fear ActFOIA
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      The White House
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      USA.gov
    
                        
                                            
      
      
      Vulnerability Disclosure Policy
        Sign Up for Email Updates

Receive the latest updates from the Secretary, Blogs, and News Releases.

Sign Up
  HHS Headquarters
          200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
                  Washington, D.C. 20201
                  Toll Free Call Center: 1-877-696-6775​ Disclaimer Policy: Links with this icon () mean that you are leaving the HHS website. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) cannot guarantee the accuracy of a non-federal website.
                  Linking to a non-federal website does not mean that HHS or its employees endorse the sponsors, information, or products presented on the website. HHS links outside of itself to provide you with further information.
                  You will be bound by the destination website's privacy policy and/or terms of service when you follow the link.
                  HHS is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on private websites. For more information on HHS's web notification policies, see Website Disclaimers.
 Continue
                  Go back