DMH serves people with serious and long-term mental illness. Although DMH has ceded control of most acute inpatient care and emergency screening teams to the Partnership, DMH still funds, operates, and monitors an array of community based services such as outpatient services, case management, residential and vocational services. This report is a survey of mental health professionals who provide services to clients through the Department of Mental Health. Findings From March to May of 1997, over one hundred DMH case managers, DMH and private vendor community treatment team clinicians, and DMH and private vendor clinical social workers were surveyed on their experiences with the Partnership. These respondents provide services to DMH priority clients.
Respondents are from across the state, covering each DMH region.
The survey group serves 1136 clients who are under the Partnership's jurisdiction. These clients have been hospitalized 399 times through Partnership hospitals. Conclusions based on extrapolating from the data below are presented at the end of the survey. Respondents listed a total of 99 instances where this occurred. Respondents reported that acute hospitals, under pressure from the Partnership to shorten lengths of stay, often discharged clients prematurely.