Two Alaska clinics become the first under a new federal behavioral health funding model

Alaska Behavioral Health in Fairbanks and JAMHI Health & Wellness in Juneau are the first two clinics in the state to win certification under a federal program designed to put community mental health and addiction services on more stable financial footing.

The Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, or CCBHC, designation comes through a four-year federal demonstration program for which Alaska is one of 10 states selected. The model replaces traditional fee-for-service Medicaid reimbursement, which pays per visit and often leaves clinics underwater on uncompensated care and crisis response, with prospective payments designed to deliver predictable funding regardless of how many billable services a clinic logs.

That shift matters in a state where behavioral health providers have long struggled against thin margins, rural access gaps, and Alaska's persistently high suicide and substance use rates. Certified clinics must offer 24-hour crisis response, timely outpatient care, and a full continuum of services, and they have to serve anyone who walks in the door, regardless of ability to pay, residence, or age. Care for children and youth has to be developmentally appropriate and informed by community needs.

The certifications cap a one-year planning phase during which the state also built out the Medicaid payment system the demonstration will run on. It builds on a separate state behavioral health demonstration the federal government approved in March 2024.

The Division of Behavioral Health is accepting inquiries from other Alaska providers interested in pursuing certification.