KNOX COUNTY, Maine — [Editor's note: The above video originally aired in September.]
Maine Behavioral Healthcare has been awarded nearly $1 million to expand mental health care in Knox County, officials say.
A news release from MaineHealth stated the Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded Maine Behavioral Health $978,645.
The money will allow Maine Behavioral Health to expand access to care for people with substance use disorders and serious mental illness through a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic serving Knox County.
Officials said a CCBHC is designed to "improve timely access to a full range of mental health and substance use treatment services offered to patients regardless of insurance."
With strategic community partnerships, the program seeks to:
- Increase access to and availability of high-quality services that meet the needs of the community.
- Support recovery from mental health and substance use disorder challenges via comprehensive community-based treatment and peer support.
- Use evidence-based practices that address the needs of the individuals the CCBHC serves.
- Meaningfully involve consumers and family members in patient care and the broader governance of the CCBHC.
- Continually work to measure and improve the quality of services.
“The Knox County grant news is very exciting,” Maria Hadjiyane, MBH COO, said in the release. “Building on our team’s experience implementing the CCBHC in York County, we look forward to providing quality care to this underserved area using best practices and collaborating with other agencies in the Knox County community. This unique model of care provides better access to care for the most vulnerable in our communities enabling patients to realize their hopes for behavioral health and well-being.”