Insights

Today, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released the highly anticipated Cooperative Agreements for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Planning Grants Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The NOFO can be found here.

The CCBHC model provides integrated and coordinated community-based care for individuals across the lifespan with and at risk for behavioral health conditions, with a focus on adults with serious mental illness, those with any mental illness, children with serious emotional disturbance, and those with substance use disorders. The model is designed to increase access to behavioral health services; provide a comprehensive range of services, including crisis services, that respond to local needs; incorporate evidence-based practices; and establish care coordination as a linchpin for service delivery. To date, CCBHCs have demonstrated[1]:

• Significant reductions in client hospitalizations
• Increased access to high quality community-based care, including services like Medication Assisted Treatment and care coordination
• Reduced impact of the mental health and substance use care workforce shortage
• Innovative and strengthened partnerships with cross-system partners, including law enforcement, schools, and hospitals

About the Planning Grants

These CCBHC Planning Grants are established to support states to develop and implement certification systems for CCBHCs, establish Prospective Payment Systems (PPS) for Medicaid reimbursable services, and prepare an application to participate in a four-year CCBHC Demonstration program. Through this opportunity, SAMHSA anticipates making 15 Planning Grant awards of up to $1 million per award. Awarded states will have 12 months to use their Planning Grant dollars to accomplish the following:

• Solicit input for the development of a state CCBHC Demonstration program from consumers (including youth), family members, providers, tribes, and other key stakeholders.
• Create and finalize application processes and review procedures for clinics to be certified as CCBHCs.
• Assist clinics with meeting certification standards by:
  • facilitating access to training and technical assistance;
  • providing workforce supports, including assisting CCBHCs to improve the cultural diversity and competence of their workforce; and
  • facilitating cultural, procedural, and organizational changes to CCBHCs that will result in the delivery of high quality, comprehensive, person-centered, and evidence-based services that are accessible to the population(s) of focus.
• Certify an initial set of clinics as CCBHCs, including those that represent diverse geographic areas, including rural and underserved areas. As an option, states can also develop a process for bringing additional clinics into the State CCBHC Demonstration program to reach the desired geographic spread by the end of the four-year CCBHC Demonstration.
• Establish a PPS for behavioral health services furnished by a CCBHC in accordance with the original PPS Methodology Guidelines developed by CMS. A statement indicating that the State agrees to pay for services at the rate established under the PPS during the CCBHC. Demonstration program must be attached with the application.
• Develop or enhance statewide data collection and reporting capacity.
• Submit a proposal to participate in the CCBHC Demonstration Program no later than March 20, 2024.

The Planning Grant project period is anticipated to begin on March 30, 2023. As a Cooperative Agreement, SAMHSA anticipates having substantial federal programmatic participation, including providing input to selected states in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the program.

These planning grants are the first phase of a two-phase process of the expansion of the CCBHC Demonstration, authorized by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.[2] Beginning July 1, 2024, and every two years thereafter, 10 states that have completed planning grants and submitted successful applications to participate in the CCBHC Demonstration will be eligible to join the program for a four-year period.

Eligibility to Apply

Eligibility for this Planning Grant opportunity is limited to the State Mental Health Authorities, Single State Agencies, or State Medicaid Agencies that are located in the 41 states, including the District of Columbia, that were not previously selected to participate in the CCBHC Demonstration Program. Regardless of which state entity ultimately serves as the applicant, each application must include a signed Memorandum of Agreement between the Director of the State Mental Health Authority, the Director of the Single State Agency, and the Director of the State Medicaid Agency demonstrating a partnership to fulfill the requirements of the award.

Updates to CCBHC Certification Criteria and PPS Guidance Expected but Not Before Application Deadline

Updates are expected to both the CCBHC Certification Criteria and PPS Guidance in the coming months, but the NOFO is clear that these updates will not be available during the application period for these Planning Grants. Specifically:

• SAMHSA is in the process of updating the CCBHC Certification Criteria through a process which will include a significant opportunity for public comment. SAMHSA intends to keep the existing framework for the criteria, which is included in the authorizing statute. SAMHSA does not intend to make major changes to the scope and shape of the Certification Criteria.
• CMS is also working to update the CCBHC PPS guidance. Any PPS changes will be made available prior to the planning grant execution period and included as part of technical assistance provided to states during the planning grant execution period.

Because neither of these updates will be released prior to the application submission deadline, applicants will use the existing CCBHC Criteria and PPS Guidance to inform their applications.

Next Steps for Interested State Stakeholders

Applications for this opportunity are due December 19, 2022 at 11:59 pm. Each application will be scored on their 30-page narrative submission, which includes significant emphasis on each applicant’s approach to CCBHC planning (including both certifying CCBHCs and establishing the PPS rates) and the state’s experience with the model to date (including the steps already taken to develop a CCBHC program in their state).

HMA and the National Council for Mental Wellbeing will host a joint webinar about this NOFO on Monday, November 7, 2022 at 1-2 pm ET. Register here.

In addition, in anticipation to the NOFO’s release, HMA and the National Council hosted a webinar on October 6, 2022, on “Developing a Strategy for the CCBHC State Demonstration RFP.” During this webinar, we engaged representatives from New York and Michigan to share information about their Demonstration program implementation to date. View the recording.

Should you have questions or want to learn more about HMA’s available support related to this and other CCBHC opportunities, contact Kristan McIntosh at [email protected].  

[1] https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/22.06.06_HillDayAtHome_CCBHC_FactSheets.pdf

[2] https://www.congress.gov/117/plaws/publ159/PLAW-117publ159.pdf

Communities across the country are seeing elevated numbers of adolescents in the Emergency Department due to suicide attempts, self-harm, anxiety, depression, substance use disorder (SUD), and overdose. While this youth mental health crisis predates COVID, it has been greatly exacerbated by the pandemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2019, 13% of adolescents reported having a major depressive episode, a 60% increase from 2007, and suicide rates rose nearly 60% for youth ages 10 to 24 by 2018[1]. Then it got worse. Last December, the U.S. surgeon general issued a public health advisory about the adolescent mental health crisis as emergency room visits due to suicide attempts rose 51% for adolescent girls in early 2021, compared to the same period in 2019. For boys, the increase was 4%[2].

The surgeon general recommends a “whole-of-society effort,” including a focus on mental health education and prevention, early identification, and access to high-quality mental healthcare.[3] School-based intervention is ideal because only 20% of students in need of more intensive services typically receive needed care when referred to external providers.^[4]

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act has committed $1.7 billion for mental health support in schools and communities via an array of methods including grant programs. The following programs are currently available for a wide array of eligible entities, including states, cities/counties, Local Education Agencies (LEAs), Indian tribes or tribal organizations, health facilities, and nonprofit entities:

• Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education).  This grant program provides up to $1.8 million per year for up to 4 years to develop a sustainable infrastructure for school-based mental health programs and services. Grant recipients are expected to build collaborative partnerships with the State Education Agency (SEA), LEA), Tribal Education Agency (TEA), the State Mental Health Agency (SMHA), community-based providers of behavioral health care services, school personnel, community organizations, families, and school-aged youth. Grant recipients will leverage their partnerships to implement mental health-related promotion, awareness, prevention, intervention, and resilience activities to ensure that students have access to and are connected to appropriate and effective behavioral health services.  Applications are due October 13^th. 
  • Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma (ReCAST). This program provides up to $1,000,000 a year for up to 4 years to promote resilience, trauma-informed approaches, and equity in communities that have recently faced civil unrest, community violence, and/or collective trauma within the past 24 months; and to assist high-risk youth and families through the implementation of evidence-based violence prevention, and community youth engagement programs. SAMHSA expects ReCAST to be guided by a community-based coalition of residents, non-profit organizations, and other entities (e.g., health and human service providers, schools, institutions of higher education, faith-based organizations, businesses, state and local government, law enforcement, and employment, housing, and transportation services agencies). Applications are due October 17^th. 

In addition to these two grants, there will be an expansion of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Center (CCBHC) Demonstration for States that is expected to be released later this month. The Excellence in Mental Health Act[5] established a federal definition and criteria for CCBHCs. These centers are a provider type that delivers a comprehensive range of mental health and SUD services to vulnerable individuals. They meet people where they are, which can include school-based services, and act as a critical partner in ensuring people have access to quality, affordable, and accessible mental health care.

School-based Mental Health Services

School-based mental health services, delivered within a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework, can be supported by the aforementioned funding opportunities. The MTSS framework is currently used in public schools to target services and supports to students. As shown below, MTSS addresses universal prevention and progressively targeted support for students and families. It also aligns well with partnerships with community providers to establish an authentic community response that addresses the continuum of mental health needs.

The key to a successfully implemented MTSS framework is a strong partnership between the school staff, parents/guardians, children, and community partners. This partnership works well when anchored to an evidence-based socio-emotional curriculum that is reinforced across all Tiers and familiar to all parties.

Suicide and Self Harm Prevention

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) was recently identified by the New York Times as “the Best Tool We Have’ for Self-Harming and Suicidal Teens,” because it is one of the only interventions found to reduce self-harm and suicidal ideation, its effects are maintained at one-year follow-up[6], and it successfully engages young people[7].

Curriculum developers Drs. Lizz Dexter-Mazza and James Mazza worked with Marsha Linehan, the DBT treatment developer, to adapt DBT Skills into a universal school-based social emotional learning curriculum, called DBT-STEPS-A. This approach is designed to help schools intervene and support well-being and resiliency before kids are suicidal or self-harming. It trains existing school personnel to integrate skill-building into the school program, universally or as a stand-alone option for youth in 6-12th grade (an elementary version is in development). As such, it is a viable approach, despite the current shortage of mental health care professionals in school-based settings.

In addition, DBT provides a shared language and strategies across all three MTSS tiers so that everyone (students, school staff, teachers, providers, and parents/guardians) can benefit. Because DBT is also commonly provided in inpatient, outpatient, and residential behavioral health programs, the value of extending this approach into school settings is further magnified for youth who transition from the highest levels of care.

A DBT STEPS-A program taught at the universal level provides the broadest application within school-based settings, supports uptake that leads to peer-to-peer coaching and support, along with shifting the school environment and culture to promote mental wellbeing and reinforce the skills via a shared language and common strategies. In Tier 2, students are supported to practice skills and decision-making strategies in smaller group or individual psychotherapy sessions as needed. The third tier is more intensive support for students experiencing ongoing emotional and behavioral difficulties for whom Tier 2–level support is not sufficient. It is designed to supplement individual psychotherapy for those in need of a higher level of care. Parent/guardian skills-training seminars are recommended, so they can learn about the skills their child is acquiring and how best to support them while they are practicing. Engaging parents/guardians proactively helps to increase adaption of the skills across both home and school contexts.

A matched sample of adolescents who received the DBT STEPS-A curriculum demonstrated lower scores on the BASC-2 Emotion Symptom Index and on the BASC-2 Internalizing Problems, indicating fewer mental health difficulties, compared to peers who did not receive the curriculum (Cohen’s F squared equal to 0.65 and 0.83, respectively[8].

The DBT curriculum is accessible via a $50 manual. All handouts for kids are available in English and Spanish and can be printed from a web-based link for free. An array of trainings are available to support rapid school-based service delivery.

To learn more about current and upcoming funding for enhanced school and community-based mental health care or DBT-STEPS-A, contact:

Heidi Arthur, Principal [email protected]

Michael Butler, Principal [email protected]

You can also contact DBT in Schools, LLC for information about DBT-STEPS-A [email protected].

[1] National Vital Statistics reports – Centers for Disease Control and … (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr69/nvsr-69-11-508.pdf

[2] Richtel, M. (2021, December 7). Surgeon general warns of Youth Mental Health Crisis. The New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/07/science/pandemic-adolescents-depression-anxiety.html

[3] Protecting youth mental health – hhs.gov. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-youth-mental-health-advisory.pdf

[4] Sheryl H. Kataoka, M.D., M.S.H.S., Lily Zhang, M.S., and Kenneth B. Wells, M.D., M.P.H. (2002). Unmet Need for Mental Health Care Among U.S. Children: Variation by Ethnicity and Insurance Status. The American Journal of Psychiatry: https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.159.9.1548

[5] Excellence in Mental Health Act. (2013, February 7). http://www.congress.gov/

[6] McCauley E, Berk MS, Asarnow JR, et al. Efficacy of Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents at High Risk for Suicide: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2018;75(8):777–785. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.1109 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2685324#:~:text=Given%20its%20effectiveness%20with%20adults,suicidal%20youths%20with%20promising%20results.&text=A%20recent%20RCT%20with%20self,1%2Dyear%20follow%2Dup.

[7] Rathus, Jill H. ( 2014). DBT skills manual for adolescents. New York :The Guilford Press,

[8] Elizabeth T. Dexter-Mazza, James J. Mazza, Alec L. Miller, Kelly Graling, Elizabeth Courtney-Seidler, and Dawn Cattuchi (2022). Application of DBT in a School-Based Setting. Pending publication