Coordinated Behavioral Health Services (CBHS) Independent Practice Association (IPA) is pleased to announce it has been awarded $4.7 million in infrastructure funds to finance the enhancement of Behavioral Health Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) available in the Hudson Valley.
HCBS services are designed to help individuals with significant behavioral health disorders achieve their personal goals, specifically achieving greater independence, enhancing their education, gaining and maintaining employment, accessing support from peers and for their families, and managing crises.
CBHS has entered into agreements with four health plans to improve access and increase utilization of HCBS for Medicaid members enrolled in Health and Recovery Plans (HARP), which are specialized plans for Medicaid recipients with serious mental illnesses or significant substance use disorders. CBHS looks forward to its partnership with Fidelis, MVP, Affinity, and UnitedHealthcare to make critical investments that will lead to enhancements throughout the region for individuals who are eligible for HCBS.
CBHS will be funding projects related to workforce development, peer support development, and outreach and education. Funds will also be used to increase access to crisis and respite services.
The New York State Office of Mental Health made a total of $50 million available statewide to address challenges related to accessing HCBS services. These funds were made available to managed care organizations, which solicited proposals from community behavioral health providers.
“This critical funding will help CBHS ensure that residents of the lower Hudson Valley who need access to these newly launched services are able to access them easily, efficiently, and quickly. We look forward to collaborating with our managed care organization partners to drive the success of this initiative,” said CBHS CEO Richard Tuten, “HCBS can make a huge difference in people’s lives, but only if they have access to them. That’s why we think these newly awarded funds will be so important to our community.”
“We are grateful for the confidence Fidelis, MVP, Affinity, and UnitedHealthcare have placed in our IPA,” said CBHS Board Chair Amy Anderson-Winchell, President of Access: Supports for Living, “By working together, we can help people with significant substance use disorders and serious mental illness build lives of meaning, dignity, and productivity in their communities, and avoid costly, and unnecessary hospitalizations.”
CBHS serves seven counties: Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester. HCBS are available for people 21 and over who are enrolled in Medicaid Managed Care HARP products and found eligible after completing an assessment.
About CBHS: The CBHS Inc. is comprised of thirty progressive, non-profit, community behavioral health and disability service providers serving seven counties in the Hudson River Region. CBHS maximizes the intellectual capacity and resources of its members in order to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing health care system. CBHS, founded in 2012, is developing business initiatives to successfully integrate and manage care and provide the cost-effective outcome-based services required for the future. Our commitment is to promote health and wellness, to facilitate the attainment of life roles in the areas of employment, housing, and social connectedness; to ensure access for whole populations, to ensure satisfaction from the people we serve and their families; and to do so at sustainable costs. CBHS Inc is the sole member of CBHS IPA, LLC.
For further information, please contact: Richard Tuten, by phone (914) 703-0453
or by Email at tutenr@cbhsinc.org.
