2025 Colorado CCBHC Planning Grant

Colorado CCBHC Planning Grant Awarded

The Department of Health Care Policy & Financing (HCPF), in partnership with the Behavioral Health Administration (BHA), submitted an application to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) for the 2024 Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Planning Grant. The CCBHC Planning Grant Application Narrative and a listing of CCBHC application supporters is available for review.

Colorado’s participation in the CCBHC Planning Grant is a part of a state-wide, multi-agency effort to build and expand Colorado’s behavioral health system of care. A CCBHC Planning Grant was awarded to Colorado on December 31, 2024. This one year planning grant provides federal funds to develop a model to  benefit communities around the state, provide needed  behavioral health services and strengthen the provider network. The grant also supports preparation of an application  for a  four-year CCBHC Demonstration program beginning in 2026. Colorado’s 

HCPF and BHA are currently working on the CCBHC Demonstration Planning Grant. The CCBHC Planning Grant allows HCPF and BHA to explore how the CCBHC model will complement the Colorado Safety Net System to promote Colorado’s overall goal of integrated and accessible behavioral health care with sustainable funding practices.

CCBHC Planning Grant Project Stakeholder Engagement Plan

Working together to collect input, ideas, perspectives, and guidance from our community partners,  members, individuals with experience receiving care and family members,providers, and state agency partners is key to the success of this project. To that end we are excited to share our Stakeholder Engagement Plan.

Monthly CCBHC Stakeholder Meeting

HCPF and BHA host a monthly public stakeholder meeting to review progress and collect input. The forum is open to members, providers, individuals with lived experience and their families, advocates, state agencies, managed care entities, and anyone interested in learning more about the CCBHC model in Colorado.

When: 
The last Wednesday of every month through October 2025. 
NOTE: Meetings for November and December will be scheduled at a later date to accommodate for the holidays and the conclusion of the planning grant.

How to sign up: 
Please register with Zoom to attend.

CCBHC Steering Committee (CCBHC-SC)

The CCBHC Steering Committee (CCBHC-SC) guides decisions related to the CCBHC planning process. 
CCBHC-SC Meetings will be open for public observation with time reserved for comments and questions. 
The CCBHC-SC will be guided through contractor consultation, state leadership, stakeholder engagement feedback and the work of the CCBHC Planning Grant  Subcommittees.

When: 
The last Monday of each month from March 2025 through December 2025, 3pm-4pm

How to sign up: 
Please register with Zoom to attend.

Special Note: The CCBHC Steering Committee forum will be moved in May to accommodate Memorial Day. The Monday, May 26th forum has been canceled. Please delete this calendar hold from your personal calendar if you have already registered. The May CCBHC Steering Committee will instead be held on Tuesday, May 27, 2025 at 3:00 p.m.

Please re-register to attend the May forum.

CCBHC Steering Committee Members

• Melissa Eddleman is the Behavioral Health Policy and Benefits Division Director at HCPF.  She has worked for a state Medicaid program for the past 13 years, with the last 8 years of service being to the state of Colorado. Prior to working with Medicaid Melissa was a rural behavioral health provider and she specialized in Substance Use Disorder treatment. She is also the Primary Investigator for the 2025 CO CCBHC Planning Grant. 
• Thomas Miller is the Division Director of Quality and Standards at the Colorado Behavioral Health Administration within CDHS. He oversees work exploring and researching Certification of CCBHC standards in Colorado and their alignment with current Colorado Behavioral Health Safety Net systems. He has and will continue to manage work to ensure it aligns with CCBHC standards and finalize the implementation of the CCBHC model as it relates to certification. 
• Jagruti Shah is the Deputy Director of the Office of Civil and Forensic Mental Health at the Colorado Department of Human Services. She oversees the management teams of the two state psychiatric hospitals, Mental Health Transitional Living Program, Forensic Services, Data and Evaluation and Bed Utilization. For the last 16 years she has worked at the Colorado Department of Human Services- Office of Behavioral Health where she implemented the statewide Jail Based Behavioral Health Services programs,  Co-responder programs, the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion programs, the Transition Specialist Program and led the Criminal Justice Services Team. 
• Lauren Snyder - Lake County Government, local government representative
• Sara Reid has worked in community behavioral health program development, evaluation, and research for over 15 years. As the program evaluator for the first CCBHC expansion grant in Colorado, at Mental Health Partners, she led development of an outcome evaluation framework, clinical quality measurement, and data-informed decision-making.
• Steven Szapor is currently the Outpatient Behavioral Health Services Operations Manager at Denver Health. Denver Health has had a CCBHC Planning, Development, and Implementation Grant for three years and Stephen has been the Project Director on the grant, overseeing the implementation of CCBHC clinical and operational standards. He is interested in supporting CCBHC implementation across the state, while working to improve reimbursements to meet the increased behavioral health needs across Colorado.
• Charles Davis, CEO at Crossroads’ Turning Points, Inc. , has over 33 years in the Colorado SUD and Behavioral Health fields. He has been on numerous committees and councils in the past and currently serve on the COPA executive board as Treasurer, a board member of Signal Behavioral Health, and serves on the Behavioral Health Integration sub-committee for PIAC, the BHA Administrative Burden Advisory Group, the Behavioral Health Planning and Advisory Committee, and  the HCPF Auditing & Accounting Guidelines Committee as well as several local and regional coalitions and committees in southern Colorado.
• Haley Leonard-Saunders is Axis Health System's Director of Communications and Project Director for their current CCBHC grant. 
  She oversees the organization’s development strategy, community partnerships, legislative affairs, and communications. She brings her lived experience to federal grant management, stakeholder and community engagement, and capacity building in rural southwest Colorado.
• Nancy VanDeMark has been working to enhance and improve the behavioral health system in Colorado for over 30 years. She has participated in this work as an advocate, family member, consultant, and behavioral health administrator.  She is dedicated to building a service system where people have easy access to high quality services when they need them. 
• Meghan Francone is a Senior Consultant with Cascadia Management Group, bringing over 15 years of experience in behavioral health program management and community-based service delivery. As a CCBHC Steering Committee member, Meghan is committed to leveraging data-driven strategies and cross-sector partnerships to expand access to comprehensive, integrated behavioral health care across Colorado.
• Mindy Klowden, MNM, is a national consultant, leader, and strategist in behavioral health and integrated care. She has held leadership positions with Third Horizon, the National Council for Mental Well-Being, and the Jefferson Center for Mental Health, and was Co-Chair of the Colorado State Innovation Model Practice Transformation Committee. Mindy has extensive expertise in CCBHC, having served as faculty for the CCBHC—E Training and Technical Assistance Center and provided advisory services to clinics in Colorado and across the country. Additionally, Mindy has lived experience as a family member with serious mental illness. She earned a BA in Sociology from Colorado College and a Masters in Nonprofit Management from Regis University.

CCBHC Planning Grant Subcommittees

Subcommittees will include subject matter experts from clinics and organizations who render care to the CCBHC Planning Grant’s populations of focus , Colorado’s priority populations, as well as urban, rural, and frontier communities to ensure CCBHC-SC and subcommittees are reflective of Colorado's geographic and cultural diversity.

• Prospective Payment System and Finance Subcommittee
  • The 3rd Wednesday of each month beginning March 2025 through December 2025, 2pm-3pm
  • How to sign up: 
    Please register with Zoom to attend.
• Certification and Provider Readiness Subcommittee
  • The 1st Tuesday of each month beginning March 2025 through December 2025. 2pm-3pm
  • How to sign up: 
    Please register with Zoom to attend.
• Quality Measure Data Management Subcommittee
  • When: The 3rd Tuesday of each month beginning March 2025 through December 2025. 2pm-3pm
  • How to sign up: 
    Please register with Zoom to attend.

CCBHC Feedback Survey Content:

Provide your feedback! Do you think we are on the right track or need to make some changes? PLEASE - share your opinions  by completing a 2 minute survey.  Feedback may be provided anonymously, but we encourage you to provide your contact information so we may reach out if we have follow up questions.

CCBHC Feedback Survey

Presentations/Updates to State-Agency led advisory committees and other forums

Would you like to ensure a forum you regularly attend is on our list for updates? Let us know by completing the survey and suggesting it.

Resources

• CO 2025 CCBHC Planning Grant JBC Report

Stay Informed

Forums & Office Hours 

• See our calendar for opportunities to participate in forums, office hours, and webinars.

Newsletters

• Sign up for our newsletters.

Contact Us

• We’re here to help! Contact hcpf_bhbenefits@state.co.us for more information.

Back to Top