Certified Community Behavioral Health Center

Expanding Timely Access to Care

Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers (CCBHCs) came into existence in 2014 with a large amount of federal funding with the intent of increasing the continuum of medical and behavioral health services to uninsured and vulnerable populations. Social determinants of health across generations have been impacted by the long-term effects of poor and inadequate physical and behavioral health services. The CCBHC concept was developed in part to address the serious gaps in communities in the United States.

As of today, there are over 400 CCBHCs across the country. CHRIS 180 was awarded a grant to establish a CCBHC in its programs in 2022. It is a four-year grant with the expectation that CHRIS 180 will be a fully certified CCBHC by 2026. CHRIS 180 will continue its legacy work with children, youth, and families as well as expanding to better serve the veteran population and to provide more adult services. CHRIS 180 will partner with medical providers, hospitals, and federally qualified health centers to broaden the continuum of services to include care coordination for individuals needing both medical care and behavioral health services. Care Coordinators will provide collaboration between service providers to develop an inclusive treatment plan that meets multiple needs of an individual. CHRIS 180 is working to establish a Mobile Crisis Response Team that can help reduce crisis episodes and reliance on unnecessary emergency services such as emergency room visits, police interventions and placement disruptions.

There is a payment process that enables CCHBC organizations to financially be sustainable while providing this continuum of services. Payments for services are reimbursed at 100% of the Medicaid rate which allows for organizations to expand with minimal financial risks and encourages partnerships with other agencies and service providers. The partners also benefit from the payment structure again encouraging partnership and service provision.

CHRIS 180 is proud to have been selected to become a Certified Community Behavioral Health Center. It allows the organization to serve more people across Metro Atlanta with a more coordinated service continuum. The organization will be able to build partnerships across communities to allow for more service options, flexibility of service provision and enhanced provider networks.

For more information on CHRIS 180’s CCBHC, email the program team.