Study indicated that, although well-integrated comprehensive community mental health system (CMHS) dramatically reduces utilization of long-stay inpatient beds compared to traditional health care systems, it does not banish appearance of "new chronic" patients from a catchment area. CMHS new chronic patients were younger, mostly male,…

Reports the perspectives of family members, hospital staff, community mental health workers, and clients regarding discharge of clients from a psychiatric extended care facility. Post-discharge problems concerned families and hospital staff most, and patients least. Highly structured and supervised placement options were considered an alternative…

Examined the impact of client need scores in the allocation of resources for community mental health services in Massachusetts. Indicated no significant difference in allocation between groups relative to client need, with resources being distributed evenly across geographic areas. (Author/ABB)

Advantages and disadvantages to various methods of assuring quality and accountability in community mental health centers are discussed. Examples are external structure review, peer monitoring, and site visitation. (LAB)

Examines strengths and weaknesses of several needs assessment techniques currently in use and concludes that exclusive use of any single technique will likely provide a biased or inaccurate assessment of community mental health needs. There is a critical need to empirically investigate the reliability and validity of these needs assessment…

This study sought to develop and test a method for predicting inpatient utilization in the New York State Department of Mental Hygiene. A Markov chain mathematical model was developed and tested ex post facto for its accuracy in prediction of inpatient workload by age groups for two successive fiscal years. (Author)

Presents the case study of a community mental health agency which was provided consultation, technical assistance, and increased funding to facilitate implementing an assertive community treatment program for the long-term mentally disabled as an alternative to hospitalization. Lists barriers encountered and reports an analysis of the community…

The Balanced Service System specifies functions required to eliminate mental disabilities and environments in which services can be provided. The model was tested in western Pennsylvania. Although the number of agencies serving the mentally ill doubled between 1960 and 1976, relative availability of each service component remained stable.…

Explored the leadership behavior of administrators in Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs). Consideration and initiating structure were significantly (negatively) correlated with CMHC effectiveness in this sample. Multivariate models that contained both of these dimensions and reflected administrative behavior on two organizational levels…

Accurate assessment of the client's ability to pay is the cornerstone to fee collections in any service organization. York County Counseling Services implemented a new method of fee assessment and collection based on the principles of providing a service worth paying for, accurate assessment of ability to pay, and a budget-payment system. (Author)

Offers mental health administrators indicators for directing scarce resources to priority populations, including density, service utilization rate, and service intensity. Provides examples of the importance of using multiple indicators in community mental health center administrative decision-making. (Author/ABB)

Describes a strategic plan developed at a community mental health center, the Summit Center for Human Development, to deal with its own survival while public demand increases, and federal and state programs are cut back. Examines current and prospective services and outlines directions for enhancing the mandated and optional services provided…

Explores primary prevention as an integral part of community mental health practice. Considers the impact of primary prevention on the fundamental tasks of mental health administrators. Suggests ways of overcoming anticipated dilemmas. (RC)

Demonstrates the importance of shape of the hazard function in determining rate of accumulation of chronic patients. New facilities characterized by length-of-stay distributions with decreasing hazard functions may at first appear to prevent chronicity even though eventual, steady-state patient mix includes many more long-stay patients than…

Judgments about the effectiveness of community mental health center (CMHC) directors are affected by the roles the judges have in relation to the centers. CMHC executives were similar to clinical colleagues and different from governing board members in the importance they placed on things that characterize the effective CMHC administrator. (Author)