Indiana’s Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) have long been the backbone of our behavioral health system, but the current braided funding structure makes it difficult to respond flexibly to the needs of the people and communities we serve. The Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model provides an opportunity to build a more responsive, sustainable system—one grounded in Indiana’s vision of Someone to Call, Someone to Respond, and Somewhere to Go. CCBHCs allow providers to meet people where they are, whether that means responding to a crisis in the community, connecting someone to care outside of traditional clinic walls, or providing comprehensive services under one coordinated system. Unlike a funding structure that can tie resources to individual services, the CCBHC model provides greater flexibility to invest in the workforce, services, and community-based supports needed to meet local needs. This is about moving from a system that asks people to fit into the services available to one that has the ability to meet people where they are.
