IMPACT OF MENTAL-HEALTH REFORM ON SERVICE USE

This article will explore the impact of early implementation of mental health reform on community mental health service use by clients. The results from a review of agency charts for mental health clients are r eported. Service use for all clients in the sample, for elderly client s, for ethnic minority clients, and for clients who are chronically me ntally ill was compared for a 3-month period prior to implementation o f the mental health reform and a 3-month period subsequent to reform. The following questions were addressed: (a) Did use of case management services increase in comparison to day treatment and individual thera py services? (b) Did use of medication management services increase? ( c) Did use of vocational services increase? (d) Did use of crisis serv ices increase? (e) Did use of substance abuse services increase? (f) F ollowing implementation of the mental health reform, were clients more likely to receive a wider range of services than prior to reform?