The Impact of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics on Service Access and Engagement.

The mental health system struggles to engage people with severe mental illnesses (SMI) and substance use disorders (SUD) in care. Certified community behavioral health clinics (CCBHCs) are designed to meet service gaps by providing person-centered, comprehensive, coordinated, accessible, and quality care. This study examines the impact of the CCBHC model on access and engagement of service users utilizing administrative data. There was a significant increase in existing and new service users (χ2 = 5.91; p < .05) after the CCBHC implementation and among existing service users with SMI (χ2 = 43.59; p < .001) and with opioid use disorders (OUD; χ2 = 51.51; p < .001). Findings were mixed for engagement, with increased psychiatry visits for people with SMI, but no changes among people with SUD apart from those with OUD. Overall, the CCBHC model increased access to care, but engagement levels varied possibly due to greater calibration of care. More research is needed to understand how CCBHCs impact clinical pathways and outcomes for service users.