Am J Psychiatry 1976; 133:69-72
Copyright © 1976 by American Psychiatric Association
Community alternatives to institutional care
LD Ozarin
The Community Mental Health Center Amendments of 1975 (Public Law 94- 63)
mandate that federally funded mental health centers provide specific
services to patients discharged from mental health facilities, including
follow-up care and a system of transitional halfway houses. In addition,
they must provide assistance in screening potential inpatients and provide
alternative treatment when appropriate. The author stresses the need to
coordinate the resources of public and private agencies through interagency
planning, collaboration, and coordinated service delivery, the need to
create new resources where none exist, and the need for more involvement by
psychiatristis.
