To the editor:

Two years ago, Citizen Advocates was selected by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration as one of the original 13 sites in New York state to pilot a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic.

This transformational program is designed to enhance the quality of care by providing a comprehensive range of mental health and addiction treatment services, with a special focus on serving vulnerable individuals with the most complex needs. By expanding access to a broad range of crisis, treatment, case management and peer support services, we strive to improve outcomes and quality of life for individuals served by Citizen Advocates through the CCBHC. 

The CCBHC is starting to show results. It is boosting access to mental health and addiction treatment, building new capacity to address the opioid crisis, and fostering greater collaboration between behavioral health and primary care providers, the law enforcement community and local education system. 

Established as part of the Excellence in Mental Health Act, this pilot program is set to expire at the end of June. Allowing this amazing initiative to expire will undermine the progress made in combining the skill, resources and expertise of mental health, addiction and community based services in our area. 

Fortunately, the Excellence in Mental Health and Treatment Expansion Act (S 824, HR 1767) moving through Congress right now would renew the CCBHC demonstration program, like the one operated by Citizen Advocates, for an additional two years. The legislation would also expand the program to an additional 11 states beyond the eight that were initially selected. 

We are deeply grateful for the support of Rep. Elise Stefanik, who was a co-sponsor of the original Excellence in Mental Health Act and has signed on once again as a co-sponsor of the new legislation. We strongly encourage her colleagues in the House and Senate to get behind this important legislation so that vital safety-net providers like Citizen Advocates have the tools and resources needed for delivering leading-edge care.

Reid Anthony

CEO

Citizen Advocates

Malone