Hawai’i has been selected as one of 10 states to participate in a federal program expanding access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment through Medicaid funding. The four-year Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Medicaid Demonstration Program is administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in partnership with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
According to Gov. Green, the selection “recognizes that work and provides a pathway to bring additional federal support to the people who need these services most.” The initiative is being implemented through a partnership between the Hawai’i Department of Health and the Department of Human Services’ Med-QUEST Division, which administers the state’s Medicaid program. Joseph Campos II, director of the Department of Human Services, said the federal program model will “help us strengthen care coordination, expand critical services and better support individuals and families across Hawai’i who are navigating mental health and substance use challenges.”
The state has been participating in the program’s planning grant since December 2024, which ends June 30, 2026. Two Adult Mental Health Division-operated clinics on Maui—located in Kahului and Lahaina—are anticipated to become fully certified by January 1, 2027. Together, these clinics currently serve more than 1,700 Maui residents. Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics must meet federal standards for timely access and provide or coordinate a full range of services, including 24/7 crisis response, outpatient mental health and substance use treatment, care coordination, and recovery supports. Clinics must also serve anyone seeking care regardless of ability to pay, age, or place of residence. Since the model’s launch in 2017, more than 500 clinics have opened across 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://mauinow.com/2026/06/07/hawai%CA%BBi-to-expand-mental-health-substance-use-treatment-services-through-medicaid-program/