Rebecca Farley, the Vice President of Advocacy and Policy from the National Council for Behavioral Health, met with Tri-County’s leadership and toured the facilities this month (April 2018). Tri-County was eager to demonstrate the implementation of recent changes made at the federal level for leading providers of mental health services.

Tri-County has been a part of a federal initiative to transform and improve the delivery of mental health services.

The National Council for Behavioral Health worked with the federal government to create the “Excellence in Mental Health Act,” the program is a two-year, eight state initiative designed to expand access to mental health and addiction care in community-based programs like Tri-County.

Because Tri-County met the very stringent criteria as defined by the act, we have been declared a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) by the State of Missouri in May 2017 and the demonstration started July 1, 2017. We are proud to have received this designation because it reflects the fact that we meet or exceed the stringent criteria and provide all of the required types of services.

As a CCBHC, Tri-County is:

  • Increasing access to mental health and addiction treatment
  • Expanding capacity to address the opioid crisis
  • Collaborating with partners in hospitals, jails, prisons and schools
  • Attracting and retaining qualified staff who offer science-based, trauma-informed services – often on the same day patients present for care
  • Adding a peer services program/support experience