Deschutes County receives grant to continue expansion work as Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic

Deschutes County Health Services has received a $4 million grant to continue activities as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC). This federally funded program is designed to increase coordination of care and other treatment services for individuals with the most serious, complex mental illnesses and addictions.

Deschutes County was originally selected in 2017 to participate in the federally funded pilot program. This new grant will allow Deschutes County Health Services to continue CCBHC expansion work through April 2022. The grant will allow the department to retain 13.5 limited time duration employees who have been providing CCBHC service and will also allow the Department to add five new employees.

The new employees include:

• A Language Access Coordinator who will coordinate language resources for non-English speakers.
• A Homeless Outreach Coordinator who will develop and coordinate resources and programming for homeless individuals in the region.
• A Peer Support Specialist who will work in coordination with the District Attorney's Office to stabilize those with a serious mental illness that have been charged with a crime and cannot participate in their own trial.
• Expanded capacity in South County through the addition of a Therapist and Case Manager.

Deschutes County Health Services complies with all Federal marijuana provisions, such as not using grant funds, directly or indirectly, to purchase, prescribe, or provide marijuana or treatment using marijuana.

For more information on CCHBCs, visit https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/topics/certified-community-behavioral-health-clinics/