The purpose of this study is to investigate those factors associated with the provision of services by federally funded CMHCs, psychiatric units of general hospitals, and other mental health facilities, and to identify trends in the delivery of mental health services. Utilizing data from a variety of governmental agencies and professional organizations, we will develop a national data base that includes information on the organization of individual institutions, characteristics of catchment areas and other geographic units, provider resources, and other factors that affect the provision of mental health services. These data will be linked in a way that data from individual institutions can be linked with data from the geographic area in which the organization resides. We will study the overall mental health service system, specific sub-systems, individual institutions, and clusters of services by using cross-sectional, longitudinal, and panel analytic techniques. Statistical models will be developed to assess the influence of contextual factors such as population density, need for services, provider resources, and existing services on the existence and form of mental health services. We will also determine the extent to which the factors that affect the organization of mental health services have changed over time and the extent to which the same factors have had different effects at different points in time. Particular attention will be paid to the diffusion of the federally funded community mental health center and the effect that these centers have had on the delivery of mental health services. The implications of our findings for mental health policy will be discussed.
| Leaf, P J; Brown, R L; Manderscheid, R W et al. (1985) Federally funded CMHCs: the effects of period of initial funding and hospital affiliation. Community Ment Health J 21:145-55 |
