The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration this week announced the U.S. Department of Health and Human services named Indiana as one of 10 states selected to participate in the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Demonstration Program.
The state selected eight program pilot sites including Centerstone of Indiana, which services Jackson, Jennings, Owen, Morgan, Monroe, Lawrence, Brown, Bartholomew, Decatur, Rush, Fayette, Union, Wayne and Randolph counties.
“Indiana has already made great strides in increasing access to crisis care for Hoosiers,” FSSA Secretary Dr. Dan Rusyniak said in a news release. “The move toward a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic model will further increase access to quality behavioral health care across Indiana.”
In 2023, Senate Enrolled Act 1 allowed the Division of Mental Health and Addiction to apply for participation in the expansion of a community mental health services demonstration program. The legislation provided the division with $100 million, $50 million each year in state fiscal years 2024 and 2025, through the state biennium budget to establish the next step for improving the state’s mental health care system.
Over the next several months, DMHA will work with demonstration pilot sites to ensure they meet all program criteria and are ready to begin offering services in early 2025.
The Division of Mental Health and Addiction and Office of Medicaid Policy and Planning developed Indiana’s demonstration application with input from individuals with lived experience of behavioral health conditions, consumer advocacy groups, elected officials, behavioral health providers including Community Mental Health Centers and other state government leaders.
The CCBHC demonstration will allow demonstration pilot sites to provide critical access to quality behavioral health care that aligns with individual community needs in diverse urban, suburban and rural settings.
“The opportunity to participate in the demonstration is the culmination of intensive collaboration and partnership across all three branches of government and with the entire treatment and advocacy community,” DMHA Director Jay Chaudhary said. “This collaboration will continue as we build the behavioral health system that Hoosiers deserve.”
A CCBHC is a specially designated clinic that provides a comprehensive range of mental health and addiction services. CCBHCs serve all people, regardless of their diagnosis, insurance status, place of residence or age.
The CCBHC model is a proven outpatient model that ensures access to high quality behavioral care including 24/7 crisis response, is required to provide routine outpatient care within 10 business days, meets strict criteria regarding access, quality reporting, staffing and coordination with social services, justice and education systems, and receives funding to support the real costs of expanding comprehensive services to fully meet the need for care in communities.