580-2-20-15 Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics

On October 9, 2026, the Alabama Department of Mental Health, Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services adopted new administrative rule 580-2-20-.15, establishing certification requirements for Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) operating within existing Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) licensed under 580-2-20. The rule was adopted with changes following a notice of intended action published August 31, 2026, in Volume XLIV, Issue No. 11 of the Alabama Administrative Monitor. Rulemaking authority derives from Code of Alabama 1975, Section 22-50-11. To obtain and maintain CCBHC certification, an entity must hold a current contract in good standing with ADMH for CCBHC services and comply with the most recent ADMH CCBHC Comprehensive Provider Manual. Governance boards must incorporate meaningful participation by persons with lived experience (PWLE) of mental health or SUD conditions, satisfying one of two board-composition options: at least 51 percent PWLE and family members on the governing board, or a smaller PWLE board component paired with a formal advisory committee approved by the ADMH Office of CCBHC. CCBHCs must also reach out to any Indian tribe or tribal or urban Indian organization within their geographic service area and enter arrangements to assist in service provision to tribal members. The rule mandates an interdisciplinary team (IDT) structure, a community needs assessment updated at least every three years, and a staffing plan reflecting assessed community needs. The management team must include at minimum an Executive Director and a psychiatrist as Medical Director; where a psychiatrist cannot be obtained after reasonable efforts, a medically trained behavioral health professional with prescriptive authority and ADMH written approval may serve, with required psychiatric consultation. Annual training on person- and family-centered care, primary care and behavioral health integration, and peer recovery support specialist utilization is required for all CCBHC employees. CCBHCs must directly provide at least 51 percent of all services and must have capacity, either directly or through Designated Collaborating Organizations (DCOs), to deliver nine required service categories: 24/7 crisis services including mobile crisis teams, 988-connected crisis intervention, and 72-hour post-crisis follow-up; comprehensive screening, assessment, and diagnosis; person- and family-centered treatment planning; outpatient mental health and SUD services; outpatient primary care screening and monitoring conforming to United States Preventive Services Task Force A and B recommendations; targeted case management; psychiatric rehabilitation services; peer and family/caregiver supports; and intensive community-based mental health care for uniformed service members and veterans. Services must be available during evening and weekend hours, via telehealth consistent with Alabama Medicaid telehealth guidelines, and through connection to the Alabama Health Information Exchange One Health platform and the state crisis stabilization system. Site certification distinguishes Full CCBHC Sites offering all nine services, Satellite Sites offering at minimum crisis, screening, treatment planning, and outpatient MH/SUD services to all ages, and Access Points delivering fewer than those four core services. All sites must adhere to CCBHC criteria on staffing, access, care coordination, scope of services, quality, and governance regardless of site type. In-community services delivered at non-CCBHC-operated settings such as schools are not subject to site certification but are subject to ADMH Office of CCBHC review.