Family & Children’s Counseling Services has received an award from New York State to expand services and begin operating as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC).  With this award, FCCS will be able to increase access to mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery services, expand care coordination and make it easier for people to get into treatment regardless of health insurance status.

“This recognition allows us the opportunity to expand our programming and provide significantly more service to the region. As we face unprecedented demand for behavioral health treatment, this award allows us to be even more responsive to community need on a more meaningful scale. We are proud that New York State has faith in our ability to provide these increasingly important services,” stated Lisa Hoeschele, FCCS Executive Director and CEO.

Under the CCBHC model, key services include evidence-based outpatient mental health and SUD services, crisis services, person-centered treatment planning, case management, peer and family support services, primary care screening, as well as community-based behavioral health services for members of the armed forces and veterans. 

“It is such an honor to have been chosen as one of the agencies who will transform into being a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic.  The ability to enhance the services that we provide in the communities we work in, to focus on unmet needs of the individuals who seek support from us, and the opportunity to add additional qualified health professionals to our teams will allow the overall experience of our consumers to be a positive one.  We are excited about these changes to come,” said Amanda Stout, FCCS Deputy Executive Director.

As a CCBHC, the agency must meet strict criteria around the variety and accessibility of services, staffing, quality reporting, governance, accreditation, and coordination with outside entities including primary care providers, social services and the criminal justice system.

New York State is part of the federal SAMHSA CCBHC Demonstration program.  The agency’s funding for this expanded services model comes under contract with the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH), Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) and the Department of Health (DOH) and is intended for counties without access or with limited access to CCBHC services; Cortland County was identified as such in the state-issued Request for Proposals. FCCS will be among 13 new CCBHCs established in New York State, eight of them in the upstate region. The agency will begin the planning phase with implementation of services under the CCBHC model in late 2025.

Learn more about the CCBHC model…