Tuesday, April 16, 2024
4/16/2024
The Kansas Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Planning Grant project is a collaboration between the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), and the State's 26 Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) - which are eligible under state statute to become certified as CCBHCs - to support the development and preparation for statewide implementation of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) CCBHC Demonstration. Kansas will utilize the CCBHC Planning Grant to prepare for the CMS CCBHC Demonstration to further the transformative potential of the CCBHC initiative to increase access to quality of behavioral health services for all person with any behavioral health need, including adults with serious mental illness (SMI), children and youth with serious emotional disturbance (SED), persons with substance use disorder (SUD), and all other behavioral health conditions. To ensure CMS CCBHC Demonstration readiness, the main activities to be performed under the grant to include: bolstering State staff to provide intensive outreach and engagement to current and prospective CCBHCs and their communities; providing training and technical assistance to CMHCs, MCOs, and other key partners with regards to financial, policy, and systems operations; modifying State policies and regulations related to CCBHC payment and certification; finalizing the prospective payment system (PPS) section upon review of the new federal guidance; and submitting a proposal to participate in the CMS CCBHC Demonstration following the planning grant period. The need in Kansas for quality mental health services has grown through the COVID-19 public health emergency. Mental Health America ranked Kansas 51st for both adults and overall categories recently in their 2023 report. The rankings show a high prevalence of youth with substance use disorder in the past year (9.0 %), adults with any mental illness (26.0 %), and adults with serious thoughts of suicide (6.4%). For overall prevalence of mental illness, Kansas ranked 50th out of all states. Moreover, Kansas ranked 49th of all states in terms of access to care. The MHA report used CDC data, showing Kansas had the 12th highest age-adjusted rate for death by suicide in the nation at 18.4% in 2020 as part of its ranking criteria. For youth, Kansas ranked 50th out of 51 states and DC in terms of mental health. Kansas also ranked in the second worst quartile for the prevalence of youth with a major depressive episode (17.9%), higher than the national average of 16.4%. Unfortunately, the access to care response is not commensurate with the preceding needs. Nationally, 28% of youth with severe depression receive consistent treatment, whereas only 6.5% of you with severe depression in Kansas receive consistent treatment. The pandemic has taken a similar toll on Kansans in terms of substance use. Kansas is one of just five states to rank in the bottom ten of all states for prevalence of youth and adult substance use disorder (SUD) at 9.1% and 18.4%, respectively. The youth prevalence of SUD ranks last of all states and DC. Kansas also had the 4th highest rate nationally for both adults and children needing, but not receiving, treatment at a specialty facility for SUD. The CCBHC Planning Grant will be used to help carry out the State's commitment to statewide implementation of the CCBHC model. Codified in State Law and implemented under Kansas' Medicaid State Plan authority, the State has currently certified 9 CMHCs as CCBHCs and will certify the remaining 17 CMHCs by July 1, 2024, in accordance with State Statute. In doing so, the centers will address the prevalence of need among all Kansans with behavioral health issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, including individuals in urban, rural, and frontier counties, with a specific focus on populations which experience health disparities related to behavioral health care.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
