Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic now open in Wasilla
Contributed by Jessica Cochran
Alaska Behavioral Health is pleased to announce the opening of a new Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) to serve the Mat-Su community. The clinic at 351 West Parks Highway opened to clients the last week of March 2023 and provides comprehensive outpatient behavioral health services to valley residents of all ages, including assessment and therapy, psychiatry, primary care for clients, and peer support.
The clinic is open Monday – Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. Appointments can be scheduled by calling 907-563-1000. During open hours, the clinic can accept walk-in appointments for those experiencing a mental health crisis. Services may be provided via telehealth based on provider availability.
Expanding to Alaska’s Fastest Growing Region
Expanding services to the Mat-Su has long been a goal of the organization, according to Chief Operations Officer Joshua Arvidson, LCSW. “We’ve been painfully aware of the shortage of behavioral health services in the Mat-Su for a long time. We have clients that drive over three hours (round-trip) from the Mat-Su to get their services in our Anchorage clinics. Bringing our services to people who need it in Alaska’s fastest growing region is something I am very excited about.”
What is a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic?
CCBHCs are mental health providers that meet high quality standards in providing mental health services to the communities they serve. Services include crisis services, screening and evaluation, outpatient mental health and co-occurring conditions, primary care screening and monitoring, client-centered treatment planning, targeted case management, psychiatric rehabilitation services, and peer and family support.
CCBHC in Alaska
Alaska Behavioral Health became one of Alaska’s first CCBHCs in 2020 with funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Under that grant, Alaska Behavioral Health worked to improve outcomes for both children and adults experiencing mental health issues in Alaska by expanding and improving our existing services, developing new services to meet the critical shortage of treatment options, improving access to treatments, expanding and developing our workforce, and improving primary care integration and psychiatric medical practices.
Federal Funding for new clinics
In September 2022, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded AKBH additional funding to open the new CCBHC in Wasilla. AKBH was also awarded an Improvement and Advancement grant to continue to develop and implement evidence-based treatments at our current CCBHC clinics in Anchorage and Fairbanks.
About Alaska Behavioral Health
Alaska Behavioral Health, formerly known as Anchorage and Fairbanks Community Mental Health Services, has been providing mental health services to the Anchorage community for more than 45 years and in Fairbanks since 2013. A not-for-profit 501(c)3, Alaska Behavioral Health is nationally accredited by the Council on Accreditation and is licensed by the State of Alaska. Services include individual and group therapy and skill development for children and adults, psychoeducation, psychiatric services, case management, family therapy, and vocational training.