Strategies for Improving Access to Care in CCBHCs

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s State of the Behavioral Health Workforce December 2025 report found that the United States is experiencing a “mental health crisis,” with increased levels of unmet behavioral health needs. In addition, workforce shortages are affecting behavioral health providers’ ability to meet demand.

By meeting requirements for timely access to comprehensive, high-quality behavioral health services, the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model is improving access to health care across the country. This toolkit provides strategies to help individual CCBHCs improve access to care in the communities they serve.

Improving access to care in CCBHCs requires more than meeting minimum response timelines; it requires a coordinated, data-informed, and community-centered approach that removes challenges at every point of entry. By using the Community Needs Assessment to guide service design, strengthening crisis and referral pathways, monitoring capacity and demand, and investing in a workforce that reflects community needs, CCBHCs can deliver timely and comprehensive behavioral health services.