Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center got the news Friday that it has achieved full certification under the state’s new model for behavioral health clinics.

The center is the first 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the nation to receive the full state designation without the benefit of a SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) grant, according to the center’s announcement this week.

In 2021, Kansas became the first state to pass into law the transition of CMHCs to CCBHCs as a means of integrated health care for mental illness, addiction and substance use disorders. Bert Nash was one of Kansas’ first nine to make the change.

Here’s an in-depth article from November 2022 about the intricacies of what the CCBHC change means for the center, its clients and its funding:

Marsha Page-White, senior director of innovation and implementation who led the CCBHC certification process, said in the announcement that the effort has been center-wide.

“Our agency did a phenomenal job of really leaning into this and doing the work,” Page-White said.

Bert Nash simultaneously worked toward — and, in April 2022, earned — three-year accreditation from CARF, the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, according to the announcement.

“As we started building programs to fit what the CCBHC model calls for, CARF really positioned us well to be able to meet those criteria,” Page-White said in the announcement.

The center received the word and congratulations from the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services on Friday, according to the announcement.

Page-White said the CCBHC model will continue to transform mental health care in this community.

“I’m just really proud to be part of an agency that tackled two huge initiatives in one year and has been very successful with both,” Page-White said in the announcement. “The bottom line is that people will get better services because of CCBHC.”

Center staff will celebrate with a breakfast on Oct. 27.

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