A MULTIDISCIPLINARY PUBLIC-ACADEMIC LIAISON TO IMPROVE PUBLIC MENTAL-HEALTH-SERVICES IN SOUTH-CAROLINA

The state of South Carolina is in the process of transforming its core services for people with severe and persistent mental illnesses to a community-based model. This paper describes the planning and ongoing i mplementation of an alliance of academic programs, mental health advoc ates, and service providers forged hy the state department of mental h ealth in 1990. Goals of the consortium are to develop graduates who po ssess the needed knowledge, skills, and attitudes to work in the publi c sector, to undertake collaborative research to improve services in t hat sector; and to maintain the effectiveness and satisfaction of curr ent workers in the public system. The authors describe activities of t he consortium to achieve these goals and give examples of enhanced aca demic involvement in the public mental health system as a result of th e consortium's activities.