​​​​​​California Behavioral Health Community-Based Continuum​ Demonstration​

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In 2023, DHCS will apply for a new Medicaid Section 1115 Demonstration to increase access to and improve mental health services for Medi-Cal Members statewide. The demonstration, known as the California Behavioral Health Community-Based Continuum Demonstration (CalBH-CBC), takes advantage of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) guidance and associated federal funding aimed at improving care for people living with serious mental illness (SMI) and serious emotional disturbance (SED). This demonstration opportunity is similar to California's historic commitment to creating a full continuum of care for substance use disorder treatment and recovery services; in 2015, California launched the Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS), a first-in-the-nation model that has been emulated in many other states. Like DMC-ODS, this opportunity allows California to make historic investments in building out the full continuum of care for behavioral health, with a special focus on the populations most at risk.

DHCS' central goal of the CalBH-CBC Demonstration is to leverage this opportunity to expand a robust continuum of community-based behavioral health care services for Medi-Cal members living with SMI or SED. It would also amplify California's ongoing behavioral health initiatives, and be informed by findings from DHCS' 2022 Assessing the Continuum of Care for Behavioral Health Services in California.

Important Updates​​​

On November 15, 2022, DHCS released the CalBH-CBC Demonstration concept paper​, describing DHCS' proposed approach to the CalBH-CBC Demonstration. DHCS will share information on the CalBH-CBC Demonstration with stakeholders at the upcoming Behavioral Health Stakeholder Advisory Committee meeting and the CalAIM Behavioral Health Workgroup meeting.

DHCS is pleased to share this concept paper and in the months ahead will work with stakeholders to refine and revise the approach to the CalBH-CBC Demonstration with the intent of submitting a formal demonstration application to the federal government in 2023. Stakeholders are encouraged to provide feedback on the concept paper through written comments and/or by participating in forthcoming public forums and advisory groups. Stakeholders also will have the opportunity to respond to and comment on a complete draft of the demonstration application before it is submitted to CMS.

DHCS will accept public comment on the concept paper through January 13, 2023. Please submit feedback to CalBHCBC@dhcs.ca.gov and include “CalBH-CBC Demonstration" in the subject line.