Southern Highlands Community Mental Health Center receiving huge financial boost

Jul. 8—PRINCETON — Southern Highlands Community Mental Health Center in Princeton is receiving a huge financial boost to enhance services.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said in an announcement the facility will receive $4 million for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) expansion initiatives.

Two other facilities in the state will receive $2 million each and the total of $8 million in funding is allocated from the 2020 year-end spending package, the American Rescue Plan and annual appropriations, said Manchin, who is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The funding is through U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

"Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics play a critical role in providing substance use disorder treatment and mental health services to communities across West Virginia. I am pleased HHS is investing in expansion and improvement projects for three of our CCBHCs in West Virginia," he said. "As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue to advocate for funding and resources to help our state address the drug epidemic and support West Virginians in need."

A CCBHC is a specially designated clinic that receives flexible funding to expand the scope of mental health and substance use services available in the community and provide care for people with unmet needs.

According to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, CCBHCs have "dramatically increased access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment, expanded states' capacity to address the overdose crisis and established innovative partnerships with law enforcement, schools and hospitals to improve care, reduce recidivism and prevent hospital readmissions."

The council said the CCBHC model is working on many levels by:

—Alleviating the impact of the community-based behavioral health workforce shortage by enabling clinics to increase hiring.

—Addressing the nation's opioid crisis by dramatically expanding access to medication-assisted treatment (MAT), the "gold standard" in substance use care.

—Delivering crisis support services in communities, helping to divert people in crisis from hospitals, emergency departments and jails.

—Working with law enforcement agencies and other criminal justice partners to reduce incarceration and improve crisis response.

—Improving access to treatment by sharply reducing wait times for services, which reach an average of 48 days nationwide.

—Closing the treatment gap that leaves millions of Americans with unmet mental health and substance use needs, bringing thousands of new clients into care.

— Contact Charles Boothe at cboothe@bdtonline.com

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