CCBHC's Care That Connects with Ken Fitzwater (Prestera Health Services)CCBHC's Care That Connects with Ken Fitzwater (Prestera Health Services)
The Association Spotlight Series
Ken Fitzwater outlines how Prestera Health Services uses the CCBHC model to expand integrated care, outreach and practical support across multiple counties in West Virginia. The conversation highlights work in jails, homeless services, transport, housing and employment to reduce barriers for people with mental health and substance use issues.
22:40•29 Oct 2026
Care That Connects: Ken Fitzwater on CCBHC and Community Recovery
Episode Overview
- Prestera’s CCBHC model integrates mental health, addiction, physical and spiritual care rather than keeping services separate.
- Access barriers are tackled through new rural offices, extensive transport mileage, mobile units and telehealth.
- Partnerships with regional jails, churches, hospitals and community organisations link people straight into treatment and support.
- Homeless services include a living room space offering voluntary treatment, housing help, benefits support and transport.
- Workforce programmes provide vocational skills, digital literacy and job coaching so people leaving treatment can build stable lives.
“"We want to make sure that we're providing care to all individuals regardless of what they need."”
What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol or other substances when so many barriers stand in the way? This conversation with Ken Fitzwater, Chief Clinical Officer at Prestera Health Services, gives a grounded look at how one organisation is reshaping behavioural healthcare across nine – soon to be ten – counties in West Virginia.
Ken shares his journey from "children's therapist" in 1997 to leading an integrated care system that treats "the mind, body, and spirit" together rather than in silos. Under the CCBHC model, Prestera has seen a 17% rise in adults served and a 24% increase in children’s intakes, focusing on access for rural communities, people with substance use challenges, and those leaving incarceration.
You’ll hear how mobile units, school-based services, and new local offices are cutting practical barriers like transport and broadband. Ken notes that last year Prestera provided "over 640,000 miles" of transport so people could actually get to care, and within two weeks of opening a new Clay County building, "we've seen 15 individuals come in to care".
The episode also looks at work in jails, where staff screen and refer people inside facilities and from a mobile unit parked "right outside the gate" to link them straight to treatment. Ken describes similar efforts with people who are unhoused, including a "living room" drop-in space where treatment isn’t required but is offered alongside help with housing, benefits, and IDs. For anyone interested in recovery, you’ll likely appreciate Prestera’s focus on jobs and long-term stability.
Vocational case managers teach digital skills, help with CVs, and support people into employment so that leaving treatment doesn’t mean starting from zero. If you’re curious how coordinated care, community partnerships and practical support can change recovery outcomes, this episode offers plenty to think about – where might similar efforts make a difference in your own community?
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