All States Now Eligible for Mental Health Clinic Planning Grants

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Certified community behavioral health clinics provide comprehensive high-quality mental health and addiction services in nine states that participate in a Medicaid demonstration program established by the Excellence in Mental Health Act. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act expanded eligibility to all 50 states.
• In October, HHS announced that states have until December 19 to apply for planning grants to help adopt the CCBHC Medicaid model.
• People served by mental health clinics experience 63% fewer visits to emergency rooms, a 41% decrease in homelessness, and 60% less time in jail. 

In many cases, law enforcement and hospital emergency rooms serve as their communities’ de facto mental health care delivery system. Recognizing that this was not an ideal situation, Congress passed the Excellence in Mental Health Act in 2014 to establish a Medicaid demonstration to fund a type of urgent care clinic that provides services for mental health. Congress has also funded implementation and expansion grants for the clinics since 2018, supporting their establishment in non-demonstration states. After research showed the success of the demonstration, Congress expanded the program so that every state can participate in the Medicaid demonstration.

Expanded Eligibility for CCBHC Planning Grants

Mental Health Clinics work

The Excellence in Mental Health Act of 2014 created a pilot program for states to use urgent care style clinics to deliver mental health care. These “certified community behavioral health clinics” provide round-the-clock crisis services, outpatient mental health and substance abuse treatment, immediate screenings, risk assessments, diagnoses, and care coordination. They may include partnerships with emergency rooms, law enforcement, and veterans groups.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services, people who received care at a mental health clinic for six months or more had 63.2% fewer ER visits for behavioral health issues. People getting coordinated behavioral health care also had a 40.7% decrease in homelessness and a 60.3% decrease in time spent in jail. 

Congress expanded the program

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act that passed in June made additional investments in mental health, including making every state eligible for the mental health clinic Medicaid demonstration program. States can receive planning grants from HHS to develop and implement certification systems for CCBHCs, establish prospective payment systems for Medicaid-reimbursable services, and prepare an application to participate in a four-year CCBHC demonstration program. Eligible entities include state mental health authorities, single state agencies, and state Medicaid agencies. Applications for the grants are due December 19.

High quality mental health care can make communities safer and improve the lives of people with mental illness. By treating people in a more appropriate setting, it allows law enforcement and emergency rooms to make better use of their resources. What has worked well in the pilot states can also work in other states.