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CCBHC: A Model All Communities Can Follow
The 67-year-old who walked into Integrity House, an outpatient mental health and substance use treatment center in New Jersey, said he needed help overcoming a 40-year history of drinking.
His story included more than a substance use challenge. The client also had mental health challenges and medical comorbidities that resulted in a series of emergency department visits and inpatient hospitalizations. So, the staff at Integrity House got to work.
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The same cold day in March that the client walked into Integrity House, he met with a clinician and received an initial evaluation and risk assessment. He met with a care manager to address adverse social determinants of health and coordination of care for medical comorbidities.
Their peer recovery specialist transported the client home and engaged him in rapport building. He met with the prescriber the following day, and she initiated psychotropic medications. The client also met with Integrity House’s primary care provider, who performed a history and physical and provided referrals to specialty doctors.
A peer recovery specialist attended initial Alcoholics Anonymous meetings with the client. The case manager and peer recovery specialist assisted him in scheduling and attending medical appointments and coordinated care among all providers. They assisted him in obtaining bus passes, as well as providing help managing medical correspondence.
Integrity House has accommodated clients with substance use and mental health challenges since opening its doors 53 years ago in downtown Newark, New Jersey. But it was only in the past two years that Integrity House became a licensed mental health clinic. That happened when it completed its transition to a CCBHC. Now, Integrity House can provide more services than ever before and no longer must refer patients to licensed mental health clinics.
“It’s so important that we provide both mental health and substance use treatment because so often those conditions occur together,” Integrity House President and CEO Robert Budsock said.
