Linking substance abuse and serious mental illness service delivery systems: Initiating a statewide collaborative

In the past, persons with serious mental illness and substance abuse often found themselves in parallel systems of care that inadequately addressed th eir needs. Recent advances have seen the development of an integrated appro ach to care for these disorders in both the public and private sectors. Whi le some state departments of mental health have developed integrated system s of care for public sector patients, no department appears to have develop ed such a system for both public and private clients, and there appears to be no published journal report of a model to induce cooperation by all stak eholders. This article outlines a two-step approach by the Massachusetts De partment of Mental Health to foster stakeholder cooperation in designing an integrated system of care for both public and private clients with co-occu rring disorders.