Pittsburg, Kansas — Crawford County Mental Health Center (CCMHC) is excited to announce its Provisional Certification as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) by the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) in Kansas. In addition to state CCBHC certification, CCMHC also submitted federal attestation regarding readiness after the first year of a four-year, $4 million SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) expansion grant they received in 2022.
The goals of the CCBHC program in Kansas are to increase access to community-based mental health and substance use disorder services, advance integration of behavioral health with physical health care; and improve utilization of evidence-based practices on a more consistent basis.
CCBHC’s provide an integrated approach for behavioral health and primary care, and include crisis behavioral health services, outpatient mental health and substance use services, primary care screening and monitoring, reduced wait times for services, and targeted outreach to veterans and active military members, with a focus on coordinated care across health care and other service provider systems.
In the transition to a CCBHC model of care, CCMHC has developed and implemented many new programs and services. Same Day Access that offers walk-in same day mental health intakes was opened in March 2023. Evidence Based Practices, proven to favorably increase healthcare outcomes measures, such as Individual Placement and Support and Assertive Community Treatment were also implemented as part of the CCBHC model.
Medication management services expanded as part of the CCBHC model as well to include Medication Assisted Treatment and adolescent psychiatric prescribing services. “As part of the CCBHC transition, we have seen a tremendous amount of growth,” stated Heather Spaur, Executive Director. She continued saying, “Grant funding allowing us to increase our staff has resulted in our agency more than doubling the number of clients served.”
Additional growth at CCMHC includes the construction of a new Addiction Treatment Center and Crisis Stabilization Unit scheduled to be complete by August 2024.Mobile crisis services have also expanded as part of the CCBHC model to include a mobile RV Unit to remove barriers and move mental health treatment outside of the “four walls of the clinic” to meet clients where they are at in the community.
“I am extremely proud of our staff for thriving in an environment of rapid change over the past year to fulfil the requirements of a CCBHC. Achieving our provisional certification so quickly will improve mental health care in our area due to quicker access to care, and getting the right treatment to the right individuals. We are excited to see how this new system of care will positively impact our client care moving forward,” state Amy Glines, Deputy Director.
Crawford County Mental Health Center has been serving the mental health needs of Crawford County since 1961, offering adult, children, crisis, and substance use services. For more information, please call 620-231-5130 or visit www.crawfordmentalhealth.org.