*This is an archive page. The links are no longer being updated. 

1993.10.12 :  Community Mental Health Care Systems
Contact:  Carolyn Shanoff (301) 443-2792
October 12, 1993

     HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today announced $4.4 million
in awards to four communities to develop or expand locally based
services for children and adolescents who have serious emotional
disorders.
     The awards will help the communities develop mental health
care systems that give each child individualized care and involve
the families as partners.  The awards are part of a new
children's mental health services program that emphasizes the
human and financial benefits of a comprehensive system of
community-based treatment services. 
     The awards will be administered through the Center for
Mental Health Services, a component of the U.S. Public Health
Service's Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration.
     "There is little doubt that these projects will have a
positive impact on children who have a serious emotional
disturbance, as well as on their families and communities,"
Secretary Shalala said. "The kinds of services that these
projects will support increase the level of independent living
and reduce costly hospitalizations. 
     "Our children and adolescents are our country's future,"
Secretary Shalala said. "We cannot let them down."
     The communities are located in East Baltimore, Md.;
Charleston, S.C.; Alliance, Canton, and three rural Appalachian
counties in southeastern Ohio; and in several small communities
in Vermont.
     Philip R. Lee, M.D., assistant secretary for health and head
of the U.S. Public Health Service, said, "The projects funded by
the new initiative will improve access to mental health services
and increase family involvement in a child's treatment."  They
will provide intensive services within family, school and
community environments.
     "In this series of grants, our aim will be to encourage
coordinated, comprehensive treatment services for children and
young adults and to help foster the growth of a community
infrastructure to support the new services," said Elaine M.
Johnson, acting administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration.
     The program requires increasing levels of local matching
funds during a five-year period.  Funded community care projects
must ensure collaboration of all child-serving systems, including
education, welfare and juvenile justice.  Each child served
through the program will receive an individual service plan
developed with the family.  The plan will designate a case
manager to help the child and the family and provide funding for
all mental health services that are required to meet the needs of
youngsters in these systems.  
     "This initiative builds on a planning process that has been
going on for several years and has involved all 50 states and
many localities," said Bernard S. Arons, M.D., acting director of
the Center for Mental Health Services.  "These awards represent a
new phase in the partnership among federal, state and local
governments to benefit children who have a serious emotional
disturbance."
     According to the Center for Mental Health Services, some 7.5
million children--12 percent of all children--suffer from mental
and emotional disturbances resulting in psychosis, depression,
conduct disorders, eating and sleeping disorders, suicidal
behaviors and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.  Only
one-third currently receive mental health care and treatment. 
Moreover, of the 54,000 children who receive care in hospitals
and residential treatment facilities, center officials believe
that many would be more appropriately served in less restrictive,
community-based facilities.


NOTE TO CORRESPONDENTS:  A brief description of the programs
awarded funding under the new Child Services Grants by the Center
for Mental Health Services is attached.

ATTACHMENT
ACCESS VERMONT

$1.3 million
Contact:  Charles Biss  (802) 241-2650

     ACCESS VERMONT is a state-wide program to support and
preserve the families of children who are experiencing serious
emotional disturbance by ensuring access to mental health and
other community-based services designed to meet individual needs
and build on strengths.  Initiation and expansion of key services
are aimed at strengthening families and preventing out-of-home
placements.  These include crisis outreach and stabilization, a
short-term residential crisis stabilization program, intensive
home-based services, respite care and therapeutic case
management.  The goal of ACCESS VERMONT is to end the practice of
out-of-state placement of troubled children by developing a
strong community-based system of care.

Ohio

$1.13 million
Contact:  Cliff Davis (514) 466-1984

     Two cities in Stark County -- Canton and Alliance -- and
three rural Appalachian counties in southeast Ohio will build on
a system of care developed over the past 10 years to create a
family-driven system of mental health care for children,
adolescents and their families.  These communities will increase
service capacity, inculcate values reflecting individualized
family care, ensure a preeminent role for parents, enhance
system-wide resource management and confront issues that have
hampered system development in all communities.  In addition, the
differences in the target communities provide the opportunity to
learn about the effects of a full system of services and supports
in contrasting cultural environments.  The Ohio plan will
strengthen the abilities of parents to assume greater
responsibilities, not only for their own children, but in the
management of the system of care. 

The East Baltimore Mental Health Partnership

$1.025 million
Contact:  Regina Hicks (410) 225-6649

     The East Baltimore Mental Health Partnership will work with
children, their families and caregivers to help them empower
themselves to achieve the highest level of participation in
community life possible.  The partnership will build on and
strengthen natural support systems and facilitate the connection
of children and family to supports and services.  Efforts will be
made to reduce the discrimination associated with serious
emotional disturbances, which creates additional stress and
barriers to care for the child, parents and caregivers.  A key
component of the East Baltimore Partnership is a program of
multiagency case management that increases the access of
children, family members and caregivers to the full array of
services needed by children with serious emotional disturbances.
In addition to expanding services and increasing access to these
services, the partnership seeks to expand the network of mental
health service providers to include social service agencies,
educators, religious and civic leaders, and family members. 

The South Carolina Department of Mental Health

$889,000
Contact: Jerome Hanley (803) 734-7859

     The grantee, the South Carolina Department of Mental Health,
will target Charleston County, where one in every four children
lives in poverty.  The Charleston/Dorchester Community Mental
Health Center will implement the Village, which will provide
intensive case management to an estimated 300 children a year,
including those in foster care, public schools and a homeless
shelter.  Some children are juvenile justice clients, sexual
assault victims or offenders, or have had psychiatric
emergencies.  The Village will provide mobile outreach emergency
services and crisis and long-term home services.  Community sites
will include schools, health clinics and the homeless shelter.
Rural communities, whose residents often do not seek services
because of their isolation and lack of transportation, will be a
particular focus.