Am J Psychiatry 1981; 138:936-940
Copyright © 1981 by American Psychiatric Association
Mental health expenditures in California counties
LM Koran and K Meinhardt
In 1957 California began placing responsibility for public mental health
services on county programs still vary widely in emphasis and size. The
authors explored determinants of counties' unequal program developments
using per capita expenditures as the measure of county services.
Sociodemographic variables that help explain states' social program
expenditures correlate weakly or not at all with county mental health
expenditures. The most powerful predictor of these expenditures is number
of psychiatrists per 10,000 population. Equal per capita expenditures,
however, are not a reasonable goal; these can mask wide variations in
program content, efficiency, and quality of care.
