Evolution of Mental Health Organizations in the United States

Mental health care organizations provide care for members of the community in need of mental health services. These organizations have to meet the needs of community members who may need mental health services while balancing their financial needs with stakeholder expectations. Mental health care organizations have evolved to provide care in a community setting with the goal of making mental health care accessible. Organizational, service delivery, and technological factors have influenced the delivery of mental health care services. Mental health organizations were developed to care for the mentally ill. The first philanthropic asylum in America was The Pennsylvania Hospital that was built in 1751. The basic concept entailed providing safe, caring, orderly and quiet physical and social environment in which relationships of concern and wise guidance could be developed. Beginning in 1840, the progressive waves of immigration threatened to overwhelm the success of these institutions because of the indigence the immigrants and their sheer numbers. By 1870, the public asylums were overcrowded with poor lower class patients. Around this time, there was a significant change in the patient population. The proportion of chronic and aged patients increased which increased the average length of stay for patients in mental facilities. By 1930, nearly 80% of mental hospital beds were occupied by chronic or aged patients. This resulted in deteriorating quality of care for mental illness, overcrowding, and underfunding for treatment. In the 1950’s, mental health care was transformed by deinstitutionalization. This led to the building and funding of community mental health care centers. The goal of the community mental health centers was to provide treatment in the communities. The Community Mental Health Act of 1963 was the first time federal funds were used to provide for the treatment of mental illness. In 1996, The Mental Health Parity Act required insurers to provide the same benefits for both physical and mental health. Legislation provided and required funding, access to care, and standards for mental health care. Mental health care legislation will be affected in the future by the budget because of the growing number of people in need of services. The Patient Care and Affordability Act could have an effect on mental health care. It will enable more people to have access to mental health services. The National Mental Health Act of 1946 for the first time provided federal funding for psychiatric education and research. The Mental Health Study Act of 1955 provided an objective evaluation of mental health concerns. The Community Mental Health Centers Act of 1963 provided federal funding for community mental health care centers. The President’s Commission on Mental Health of 1977 reviewed mental health needs and recommend policies. The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibited discrimination based on physical or mental disability. The Mental Health Parity Act of 1996 required insurers to provide the coverage for both physical and mental health. The Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 expanded federal requirements for mental health coverage and required health insurers who choose to cover mental illness to provide mental health benefits on par with that for physical health.