Community Mental Health Act
5134178
223784121
2008-07-05T20:03:00Z
BirgitteSB
317951
mergeing infor from [[Mental Retardation Facilities and Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act]]
The '''Community Mental Health Act''' of 1963 (CMHA) (also known as the Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act) (Public Law 88-164) was an act to provide Federal funding for community mental health centers. This legislation was passed as part of [[John F. Kennedy]]'s [[New Frontier]]. It led to considerable [[deinstitutionalization]].
In 1955, Congress passed the Mental Health Study Act, leading to the establishment of the Joint Commission on Mental Illness and Mental Health. That Commission issued a report in 1961<ref>[http://www.nmha.org/about/history.cfm]{{Dead link|date=March 2008}}</ref>, which would become the basis of the 1963 Act.<ref>[http://www.namiscc.org/Editorial/2002/FederalMentalHealthCarePolicy.htm THINK ABOUT THE NEXT 25 YEARS<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
The CMHA provided grants to states for the establishment of local mental health centers, under the overview of the [[National Institute of Mental Health]]. The NIH also conducted a research involving adequacy in mental health issues. The purpose of the CMHA was to provide for community-based care, as an alternative to institutionalization. However, some states saw this as an excuse to close expensive state hospitals without spending some of the money on community-based care.
The CMHA proved to be a mixed success. Many patients, formerly warehoused in institutions, were released into the community. However, not all communities had the facilities or expertise to deal with them.<ref>http://ist-socrates.berkeley.edu/~cmhsr/history.html</ref> In many cases, patients wound up in adult homes, or with their families, but without the mental health care they needed.<ref>[http://mhawestchester.org/advocates/opromise81303.asp Opinion - Keeping The Promise of Community Mental Health<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==Notes==
<references/>
[[Category:Mental health law in the United States]]
[[Category:United States federal healthcare legislation]]
[[Category:1963 in law]]