UTILIZING THE COMMUNITY AS A THERAPEUTIC RESOURCE
LEE G. SEWALL M. D., and
CHARLES W. GRADY M. D.
1. The responsibility of a mental hospital does not end with sending the patient out on trial visit. The hospital also has, or should have, some responsibility for finding a proper vocational placement and supervising that placement, when the family are unable or unwilling to do so.
2. In assuming that responsibility, the Veterans Hospital at Roanoke, Va., maintains constant contact with persons in the community who are willing to find placements for selected trial-visit patients.
3. Methods of selecting patients, and of preparing them and the employer, are described.
4. A typical case of successful placement is detailed.
5. In the past 3 years, we have worked with 68 patients in this program. Nine of these are considered failures, and 49 must be definitely classed as successful placements. The other 10 patients are still under supervision, and for the most part are adjusting well.
6. Schizophrenics seem to have less difficulty in making an adjustment than individuals with other psychiatric disabilities.
7. This program, carried by one employee, has resulted not only in the community readjustment of a number of individuals with severe chronic psychiatric disabilities but also in the saving of thousands of dollars to the government.
