19 Oct Kristy Kennedy named Director of CCBHC Project
Counseling Associates, an affiliate of Arisa Health, received a $4,000,000 SAMHSA expansion grant to develop a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) over the next two years in Central Arkansas.
Kristy Kennedy, LCSW, has been named as the Director of this CCBHC project. Kristy has been with our organization for 17 years. She has extensive experience working with school districts, state departments, the Arkansas court system, and numerous community partners over the years. Kristy says, “I am feel so excited and honored to be part of this innovative healthcare program. Working for Community Mental Health for many years, I’ve seen first hand the need to increase services in the community and court system to reduce recidivism and improve access to treatment for those at the highest risk. By raising the bar in behavioral healthcare service delivery, we will have the unique ability to improve outcomes for our clients more than ever before.”
CCBHC’s provide nine types of essential services, with an emphasis on the provision of substance use and mental health care, 24-hour crisis care, evidence-based practices, and consumer care coordination. Moreover, additional services are incorporated to ensure an approach to healthcare that emphasizes recovery, wellness, trauma-informed care, and physical-behavioral health integration.
With this grant, we will be introducing a mobile integrated primary care clinic in January 2021 to provide a whole health approach for their consumers with the greatest needs. Providing general medical care, health maintenance screenings, vaccinations, and chronic disease management will be just some of the services provided. Care coordination and peer support specialists will be the anchor of this program to ensure consumers receive competent treatment quickly by removing barriers such as transportation issues, long wait times for appointments and improving communication between treatment providers.