One-Stop Mental Health Centers Expand in Massachusetts
Massachusetts community behavioral health centers (CBHCs) have seen explosive demand since rolling out across the state at the beginning of 2023 as part of former Governor Charlie Baker’s initiative to increase mental health care access. There are now 26 such centers. These facilities provide crisis intervention 24 hours a day, with mobile crisis teams dispatched within an hour of a call, alongside routine ongoing care, urgent appointments, voluntary overnight crisis stabilization units, peer support specialists, and case management services. All services are fully covered for clients on most versions of MassHealth.
Demand has surged dramatically. At North Suffolk Community Services’ East Boston center, the number of diagnostic evaluations doubled or more each month since opening. Children’s intakes particularly spiked—in April 2023, a 450% increase compared to April 2022, and in May, intakes jumped 840% year-over-year. Director Samantha Green-Atchley attributes these increases to pandemic-related mental health challenges, pent-up demand from wait lists at other providers, and referrals following mobile crisis evaluations. The centers have expanded hours to accommodate demand, now open until 8 p.m. weekdays and 5 p.m. weekends for routine and urgent appointments.
These centers are reducing emergency department burden: state data showed a 32% decrease in people waiting in hospital ERs for inpatient psychiatric beds from January through November 2023, with boarding among MassHealth members plummeting almost 60% that year. However, challenges persist: many facilities report space constraints limiting their ability to meet follow-up care demands. Additionally, private insurers cover fewer services than MassHealth, creating equity concerns. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts stated it is exploring additional coverage; Point32Health uses traditional fee-for-service reimbursement rather than the enhanced rates MassHealth provides.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.wbur.org/news/2024/02/22/massachusetts-community-behavioral-health-centers