The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services signed off Tuesday on Illinois’s plan to establish a new behavioral health model in the state’s Medicaid program. [Health News Illinois]

Through the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics program, HHS will provide "sustainable funding" for facilities that provide comprehensive, around-the-clock behavioral healthcare and substance abuse treatment. Clinics are required to provide care coordination, 24/7 access to crisis services and serve all patients, regardless of their ability to pay.

“(CCBHCs) have significantly improved behavioral health treatment in our country, and today’s announcement will dramatically expand and improve access to equitable, quality care for Americans with serious mental health and substance use treatment needs,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement.

Illinois was one of 10 states added to the demonstration program after they established the “necessary state-level infrastructure and worked with providers” to develop their initiatives, according to HHS. Eight states are already part of the program.

Department of Healthcare and Family Services Director Lizzy Whitehorn said Tuesday’s announcement will have a “significant impact” on access.

“Behavioral healthcare faces major capacity challenges across the nation," she said in a statement. “This program will expand access in critical ways for people who have struggled in the past to find the services they need.”

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