The Central Oklahoma Community Mental Health Center (COCMHC) is eager and ready to begin the CARES Project and become a Certified Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC). CARES will offer a five-day-per-week primary care clinic, expand staffing for our adult mobile crisis teams to function 24/7, operationalize a 24 hr/59min outpatient crisis stabilization unit, and hire additional experienced clinical and paraprofessional treatment staff. These programs and staff will ensure the consumers served by the CARES Project receive best practice, competent, and quality care. Our treatment teams are multidisciplinary and poised to embrace the CCBHC model to strengthen our service model for certification. We will build upon our history of operating innovative programs, such as: our Program of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT), drug and mental health court services, and systems of care for children.
COCMHC CARES will serve all ages in need, regardless of ability to pay. Additional goals and objectives include:
• Serve an additional 336 persons in year 1 and 270 in year 2, for a total of 706 individuals;
• Expand access to services; expand and enhance the array of services and EBP delivery;
• Expand hours and days of operation at our primary care clinic through increased staffing;
• Increase staffing for services and supports by a minimum of 15 to expand access & array
• Expand adult mobile crisis response team to 24/7 operability by month 4;
• Open Share Space, a peer-run drop-in center, by month 2, including evidence-based recovery groups weekly led by Peer Recovery Support Specialists with lived experience;
• Ensure person-centered and family-centered treatment planning through required training;
• Increase recovery support services with a minimum of one new FTE for supported employment (independent placements and supports);
• Practice the Housing First philosophy and model maximizing recovery support funding;
• Start CARES CHAIRS Clinic, 23hr/59min crisis stabilization, beginning operation by 4th month, offering on-demand outpatient crisis services with immediate outpatient linkage;
• Increase numbers of veterans served by 10% in year 1 and another 10% in year 2;
• Begin on day 1 to outreach to Veteran’s Center in Norman, Veteran’s Administration, and other partners to establish a referral process, add to ongoing needs assessment, and connect; and
• Training and supervision are woven throughout the CARES Project plan, with carefully planned EBPs to match the needs of the Children, adults, and families CARES will serve.
We are very excited to seize this opportunity to achieve CCBHC certification and better serve our community. Because of our increased capacity, increased array of services, and increased capacity in our Primary Care Clinic, we can ensure the best outcomes for our county’s most vulnerable people. We will deliver truly integrated care across a spectrum of mental health, substance use disorder, and primary care services. We will offer recovery support services that ensure those served can live successfully in Comanche County’s communities. JTCMHC is fully committed to achieving CCBHC certification, to the goals and objectives proposed, and to a continuous quality improvement process that will build on the considerable progress of two years of the CARES project, sustaining all new services and increased service numbers.