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St. Joe’s, BHSN receive major federal grants

SARANAC LAKE — Federal grants announced this week will help two North Country agencies care for people with addiction and mental health issues over the next two years.

On Friday, St. Joseph’s Addiction Treatment & Recovery Centers, based in Saranac Lake, and Behavioral Health Services North, based in Morrisonville, announced that they will be part of an expanded federal Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic program. And with that certification comes millions of dollars for these regional nonprofit organizations.

St. Joseph’s said it was awarded more than $1.9 million a year for two years, a total of more than $3.8 million. BHSN said it will receive $1,999,891 the first year and $3,999,782 over a two-year period.

The grants are given by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. CCBHCs are a part of national efforts toward Medicaid redesign. It’s intended to provide 24/7 access to community-based mental health and addiction services, and physical health care in a single location, regardless of one’s ability to pay.

St. Joseph’s plans to use the funding to expand its mental health services for people suffering from addiction.

St. Joseph’s has a long history of providing substance use disorder treatment, originally opening an inpatient facility in 1971 in Saranac Lake and expanding to include outpatient services, supportive housing and treatment for adults, families and adolescents, plus intensive services for military veterans. With an increased recognition of the frequent pairing of substance use disorders and mental health concerns, St. Joseph’s has been broadening services offered to meet these needs.

“In early 2020, we became aware of the opportunity to apply for the CCBHC Expansion Grant and saw this as an opportunity to address the needs of the community more holistically,” Zachary Randolph, chief clinical officer for St. Joseph’s, said in a press release. “We assembled a team that worked long hours to meet the rigorous application requirements. Obviously, that has paid off in a way that we believe will benefit everyone involved.”

BHSN noted that five years ago, under the New York state Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment Initiative, was awarded an integrated license to expand access and to provide mental health, substance, and primary care services. That paved the way for expanded access to care management, crisis services and primary care services at the BHSN Center for Wellbeing in Morrisonville.

Each agency will be required to meet stringent outcome reporting requirements.

St. Joseph’s and Behavioral Health Services North join Citizen Advocates, which has been a CCBHC since 2017, to make the North Country a region with one of the highest per-capita providers of CCBHC services in the state, according to St. Joseph’s.

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