The Mental Health Association of Westchester (MHA) is pleased to announce an award of $4 million over four years from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to further advance the vital work of its existing Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) services. An innovative integrated clinic model, MHA’s CCBHC improves access to care by addressing financial and logistical barriers and delivers a network of services to support a range of needs for targeted populations.

Building on the success of MHA’s prior CCBHC awards in 2018 and 2020, this substantial grant funding focuses on three primary goals: addressing barriers to care for the Latinx and immigrant populations; better serving aging adults; and improving delivery of integrated services through an increase in targeted case management.

“We are honored to receive this generous support from SAMHSA, reflective of the tremendous work MHA has demonstrated under the previous two CCBHC grant awards. This award supports further enhancement of our work in serving un- and under-insured individuals in Westchester and Rockland Counties who are experiencing serious challenges related to mental health and/or substance use, as well as the extended military community and children and adolescents in need of support,” said MHA Chief Executive Officer Charlotte Östman, LCSW-R. “As we continue to navigate the ongoing and lasting impact COVID-19 has on mental health and well-being, we are more deeply committed than ever before to developing new services and expanding on existing supports to better serve the diverse needs of our community.”

MHA will serve more clients whose primary language is Spanish by increasing the number of bilingual/bicultural staff members and addressing other barriers to care in the Latinx and immigrant populations that lead to disparities in outcomes. Additionally, MHA will build capacity to better serve the aging population in our community by training staff on evidence-based practices for older adults. Further, MHA will improve delivery of integrated mental health, substance use recovery and physical health services through increasing Case Management services specifically for those individuals not eligible for Health Home Care Management..

“In the past four years, our CCBHC services have touched so many lives – from the individuals who walk through our clinic doors to the unseen positive impact on those who benefit when their loved ones are engaged in person-centered, trauma-informed care,” said Vice President of Clinic Operations Eva Nunez-Paulino, LCSW. “We have long been on the forefront of mental health and substance use recovery services in our community, and we are thrilled to soon be opening the doors to our new Article 31 and Article 32 clinic space in White Plains. These clinics, licensed by the New York State Office of Mental Health and the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports respectively, are co-located with Sunriver Health, a Federally Qualified Health Center. Demonstrating our deep commitment to the integration of mental health, substance use treatment and physical health, our new White Plains clinic will be a hub for whole person health and support the goals of this grant.”