Am J Psychiatry 1976; 133:56-61
Copyright © 1976 by American Psychiatric Association
Community mental health center legislation: flight of the phoenix
FM Ochberg
The author describes the history and implications of recent legislation
affecting community mental health centers. New legislative requirements
will result in centers seeing typically underserved populations (children,
the elderly, and drug and alcohol abusers) as part of 7 new essential
services. The impact of new grant mechanisms and the role of the National
Institute of Mental Health in assisting and evaluating centers are
examined. The author concludes that as a result of legislative and other
trends in mental health care, psychiatrists will be seeing sicker patients
for shorter periods, role confusion in the mental health professions will
lessen, and centers will be forced to devote much time and effort to
financial concerns and appropriate allocation of manpower.
