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Anne Graham, D-North Yarmouth, represents Maine House District 105 in Cumberland County, and Lucien Daigle, R-Fort Kent, represents Maine House District 1 in Aroostook County.
Maine has long prided itself on helping our neighbors, especially in our rural communities where access to health care can be limited, and families often rely on local providers for essential services. Today, however, our state faces a growing need for behavioral health services that require practical, bipartisan solutions.
Supporting the full implementation of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) through LD 721 is one such solution. And that’s why the two of us, representing two different parts of the state — and two different political parties — have joined forces to secure this vital funding.
These clinics are designed to be the behavioral health equivalent of community health centers. Just as Federally Qualified Health Centers ensure individuals and families can access timely primary care regardless of their ability to pay, CCBHCs ensure that anyone who walks through the door can receive comprehensive mental health and substance use treatment. For many Mainers, particularly our children and those living in rural communities, these clinics are already proving to be a lifeline.
Maine currently has five approved CCBHC providers serving communities across the state, including Aroostook Mental Health Center (AMHC), which delivers vital care across large rural regions of northern and eastern Maine. Organizations like AMHC are deeply rooted in our communities and understand the real barriers families face when seeking care. We are pleased to say that the early results from Maine’s CCBHCs are encouraging.
Across the state, clinics have already expanded access to care and begun strengthening the workforce needed to deliver it. Every CCBHC in Maine has started to hire or transition staff and create new positions, helping address some of the workforce shortages that have long limited behavioral health services and created lengthy waitlists.
The model is also helping reach people who have historically struggled to access care. National data show that CCBHCs expand access by an average of 33%, with some of the most significant gains among children, individuals without insurance, and those who previously had no outpatient care.
That progress is particularly important as Maine continues to confront a children’s behavioral health crisis. Maine’s CCBHCs have reported increases in the number of children they serve, and many are delivering services directly in schools or youth-focused settings.
Maine’s CCBHCs are also meaningfully expanding access to treatment for substance use disorders and strengthening crisis response services through partnerships with community providers and the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. These services help ensure people experiencing a behavioral health emergency receive timely care, often preventing unnecessary and costly emergency department visits or involvement with the criminal justice system.
But to fully realize these benefits, Maine must support the full implementation of CCBHCs.
That is where LD 721 comes in. This legislation would provide targeted funding to support Maine’s five approved CCBHCs, including the hiring of clinicians and support staff needed to deliver the model as intended. Without this investment, clinics will struggle to recruit the full workforce required to expand services and meet growing demand.
As federal policy changes take effect, Maine anticipates an increase in the number of uninsured individuals seeking care. CCBHCs are specifically designed to meet this need by serving anyone who walks through their doors, regardless of insurance status. LD 721 has been a bipartisan effort, receiving unanimous votes at every step in the legislature. Now, it just needs funding in the state budget.
By funding full implementation through LD 721, the Legislature can expand access to care, support rural communities, strengthen services for children and families, and help prepare our state for the growing behavioral health needs ahead.
For many Maine families, from southern Maine to Aroostook County, this investment could make all the difference, and that’s why we’re calling on our colleagues on the Appropriations Committee to fund CCBHCs.
