Are Urban Mental Health Centers Worth It? Part II
J. M. STUBBLEBINE M.D.1, and
J. BARRY DECKER M.D.2
1 Director of the California State Department of Mental Hygiene, 744 P Street, Sacramento, Calif. 95814
2 Acting Program Chief, Community Mental Health Services, City and County of San Francisco Department of Mental Health
The authors examine the value of community mental health centers, using the San Francisco system as a model. This system shows a reduction in distant state and local hospital use and therefore a reduction in expenditures. The changing pattern of care requires coordinated but multiple treatment options and crisis intervention. When an urban program is organized in this way, more efficient use can be made of state and county tax dollars, and expenditures can often be reduced.
