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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 2025 Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Planning Grant in Fall of 2024. The CCBHC Planning Grant Application Narrative and a listing of CCBHC application supporters are 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. 

For more information on the Federal CCBHC Model, please visit the Colorado CCBHC webpage or the SAMHSA CCBHC webpage.

HCPF and BHA are currently collaborating on the CCBHC Demonstration Planning Grant along with other state partners, providers, stakeholders at all levels, and industry experts. 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.

Colorado CCBHC Planning Grant No-Cost Extension

To support continued CCBHC Planning Grant activities into 2026, HCPF and BHA requested a No-Cost Extension (NCE) from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) on November 20, 2025. SAMHSA approved Colorado’s NCE on December 22, 2025, extending the CCBHC Planning Grant period from the original end date of December 30, 2025, to June 30, 2026. 
We look forward to continuing this work with our valued partners and stakeholders.

Working Together for Accessible, High-Quality Behavioral Health

2025 Colorado Planning Grant has been a continuous collaborative effort. Work between BHA, HCPF, and stakeholders has led to initial implementation infrastructure plans. 

For more information please follow the below links to keep up to date on memoranda and guidance documents that support the Colorado 2025 CCBHC Planning Grant: 

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. 

CCBHC Steering Committee (CCBHC-SC)

The CCBHC Steering Committee (CCBHC-SC) is a public meeting to gather input and perspectives from all stakeholders to help guide the CCBHC planning and implementation process. 
CCBHC-SC Meetings are open to the public with time reserved for comments and questions. 
The CCBHC-SC will be guided through contractor consultation, state leadership, and stakeholder engagement feedback.

When: 
The last Monday of each month from March 2025 through May 2026, 3pm-4pm

How to sign up: 
Please register to attend here.

CCBHC Steering Committee Minutes

Selection for Steering Committee members prioritized lived experience in addition to other criteria developed in the scoring rubric, including experience in the following areas: CCBHC, healthcare system change, advocacy, leadership, and project management. Colorado’s geographic and demographic diversity was also considered to ensure representation.

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 the Colorado Department of Human Services. 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 - currently lives in Leadville and is the Deputy County Manager of Lake County overseeing health and human services related Departments for the County. She has over a decade working in behavioral health at a systems level in Colorado, including most recently being the VP of Government Affairs at Mental Health Colorado. In her previous roles, she championed numerous policies and legislation to improve quality of care and protect the rights of people with lived and living experience.
  • 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 substance use disorders and Behavioral Health fields. He has been on numerous committees and councils in the past and currently serves on the Colorado Provider’s Association executive board as Treasurer, a board member of Signal Behavioral Health, and serves on the Behavioral Health Integration sub-committee for HCPF’s Accountable Care Collaborative 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, 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 Feedback Survey:

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 linked above and suggesting it.

CCBHC Planning Grant Updates

HCPF and BHA will work together to give regularly available updates on the progress of work as the planning grant year progresses.

  • 4th of 6 Programmatic Progress Reports (PPR) submitted in January, 2026
  • SAMHSA Performance and Accountability Reporting System (SPARS) Reporting Submitted for fourth reporting quarter of the CCBHC Planning Grant
  • No-Cost Extension received to extend timeline and resources of the CCBHC planning grant project into 2026

2025 CCBHC Planning Grant Stakeholder Work

During the 2025 calendar year, HCPF and BHA hosted several stakeholder engagement opportunities in addition to the ongoing CCBHC Steering Committee including a Monthly CCBHC Stakeholder forum and 3 subcommittees. 5 or more meetings were held monthly to ensure clarity of communication with our external partners while initial options and plans were developed for CCBHC implementation in Colorado. Below please find information about and previous work completed in those various meetings.

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 to attend here.

Past Forum Presentations

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.

Resources

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Forums & Office Hours 

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

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