What is a CCBHC?

A Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) is a specially-designated clinic that provides a comprehensive range of mental health and substance use services. CCBHCs serve anyone who walks through the door, regardless of their diagnosis and insurance status.

As an integrated and sustainably-financed model for care delivery, CCBHCs:

  • Ensure access to integrated, evidence-based substance use disorder and mental health services, including 24/7 crisis response and medication-assisted treatment (MAT).
  • Meet stringent criteria regarding timeliness of access, quality reporting, staffing and coordination with social services, criminal justice and education systems.
  • Receive flexible funding to support the real costs of expanding services to fully meet the need for care in their communities.

CCBHCs have dramatically increased access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment, expanded states’ capacity to address the overdose crisis and established innovative partnerships with law enforcement, schools and hospitals to improve care, reduce recidivism and prevent hospital readmissions.

2022 CCBHC Impact Report

New data shows Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics are having tremendous success in tackling the dual mental health and substance use crises in America.

Download Report

The CCBHC model was originally implemented in an eight state in a 2017 demonstration program through the passage of the Excellence in Mental Health Care Act of 2014, with two states added to the demonstration in 2020. Since 2018, grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) have also funded clinics in dozens of states to take on the activities and services of a CCBHC.

In October 2022, the Biden-Harris administration announced the CCBHC model will be expanded nationwide, with planning grants available to help more states with implementation. These grants use funding authorized by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

Today, more than 500 CCBHCs are operating in 46 states, plus Puerto Rico, Washington D.C., and Guam. A growing number of states are moving to implement the model — similar to other value-based or alternative payment models — independently via a state plan amendment or Medicaid waiver.

Data & Impact

General Information