Media Contact: Val Campagna, 207-661-6633, valerie.compagna@mainehealth.org
PORTLAND, ME – Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has awarded Maine Behavioral Healthcare (MBH) $978,645 to focus on access to care for people with serious mental illness and substance use disorders through a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) serving Knox County.
A CCBHC is designed to improve timely access to a full range of mental health and substance use treatment services offered to patients regardless of insurance. Through strategic community partnerships, the program aims to:
- Increase access to and availability of high-quality services that meet the needs of the community.
- Support recovery from mental health and substance use disorder challenges via comprehensive community-based treatment and peer support.
- Use evidence-based practices that address the needs of the individuals the CCBHC serves.
- Meaningfully involve consumers and family members in patient care and the broader governance of the CCBHC.
- Continually work to measure and improve the quality of services.
Earlier this year MBH became the sixth behavioral health organization in Maine to participate in the CCBHC model of care when SAMSHA awarded the organization an implementation grant of $1 million per year for four years serving people in York County.
“The Knox County grant news is very exciting,” said Maria Hadjiyane MBH COO. “Building on our team’s experience implementing the CCBHC in York County, we look forward to providing quality care to this underserved area using best practices and collaborating with other agencies in the Knox County community. This unique model of care provides better access to care for the most vulnerable in our communities enabling patients to realize their hopes for behavioral health and well-being.”
About Maine Behavioral Healthcare:
Maine Behavioral Healthcare (MBH) is a not-for-profit organization serving more than 20,000 children, adolescents and adults at over 30 locations throughout southern, western, and mid-coast Maine, providing a continuum of coordinated mental healthcare from outpatient community offices to inpatient acute care at Spring Harbor Hospital. Learn more at www.mainebehavioralhealthcare.org.