In what was a highly selective process, Sound was awarded a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) planning, development and implementation grant by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). SAMHSA is the national organization that oversees the community behavioral health industry. At $1 million per year for a four-year period, the grant is significant.
Sound was the only King County provider awarded, of six that applied for it. It is also only one of seven recipients in the entire state of Washington. With the state taking its own steps toward becoming a CCBHC state, the model of care is widely considered the future of community behavioral health.
With unsustainable funding models creating instability in the community behavioral health system, CCBHCs address two critical issues: client access to care and provider reimbursement for services. CCBHCs significantly improve access and accessibility to high quality, evidence-based integrated behavioral healthcare. They also will be structured in a way that benefits providers, which be able to increase reimbursement rates, promoting greater financial sustainability.
“This is significant news,” said Patrick Evans, Sound’s President & CEO, “and it marks the future of behavioral healthcare. I believe our history of innovation, commitment to evidence-based integrated care and comprehensive offerings uniquely qualifies us. This announcement is a key component of our transformation into a more sustainable provider of healthcare services, positioning Sound to be the model behavioral healthcare organization of the future.”
CCBHCs offer integrated evidence-based substance use disorder and mental health services, including round-the-clock crisis response and medication assisted treatment. They must provide timely access, quality reporting and coordination with social services, re-entry and education systems.
“The CCBHC model is in complete alignment with Sound’s commitment to providing quality integrated behavioral healthcare,” said Katrina Egner, Executive Vice President & Chief Programs Officer at Sound. “CCBHCs are proven to be an effective framework for providing the accessible, recovery-focused care our clients need.”
Specifically, this grant establishes comprehensive coordinated care to meet the mental health, substance use, co-occurring disorder and physical health needs of the BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and other underserved communities. Under grant requirements, 500 unique individuals will be served annually, for a total of 2,000 unique individuals served through the life of the grant.
This follows a number of recent strategic changes Sound has put into place as it transforms post-Covid, and works to create a more sustainable and viable healthcare business. The organization has consolidated locations, creating more streamlined and efficient operations; completed the sale of Cascade Hall, a 64-bed residential treatment facility, to King County; is reconfiguring its Primary Care practice and continues to evaluate other lines of business that are no longer sustainable in the current funding and reimbursement environment.
Read future issues of SoundWaves for updates on this exciting new project.