The South Central Behavioral Service (SCBS) populations of focus include individuals with
serious mental illness (SMI), serious emotional disturbance (SED), substance use disorders
(SUD), and/or co-occurring disorders (COD), living in rural areas with little access to services
and supports. U.S. Census estimate reports 45,090 people residing in the service region. Most
(87%) of the population identifies as non-Hispanic white and 10% identify as Hispanic or Latino.
SCBS will use this grant as an opportunity to expand the high-quality behavioral health services
that we already provide and transform our system of care to align with CCBHC practices. The
goals and objectives described below have been developed to meet the identified need for better
access to health care and to mental health care, including better coordination of care, more
person-centered approaches, and better management of chronic health conditions.
As the State of Nebraska moves closer to adoption of the CCBHC model, we are excited by this
opportunity to improve our services to continue to meet the needs of populations of focus and
individuals currently experiencing health disparities.
Our specific goals are: (1) Meet all CCBHC requirements for an advisory group; staffing,
training, and orientation; Designated Collaborating Organization and other collaborative
agreements; and monitoring and evaluation, (2) Expand capacity of the existing electronic health
record (EHR) and related data systems to support better care coordination and measurement-
based care practices, (3) Improve outcomes for individuals with SMI, SED, and COD who have
co-occurring medical needs by expanding care coordination for people with complex needs and
moving toward a team-based approach to providing care across providers, (4) Reduce
unnecessary emergency department visits and law enforcement contacts by expanding crisis care
coordination, developing a crisis stabilization program, and utilizing telehealth crisis response
services for rural areas, (5) Improve engagement and outcomes for all SCBS consumers served
by improving the person-centered treatment planning model, and (6) Improve outcomes for
individuals with SUD and COD by implementing Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment (IDDT),
expanding access to Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), and reducing barriers to obtaining
MAT prescriptions.