DLC RELEASES INVESTIGATIVE REPORT ON

COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

September 28, 2012

The Disability Law Center (DLC) has released its investigative report on the Commonwealth’s new model for delivering community mental health services.  The report is titled “Unfinished Challenges: A Report on Human Rights and Resources in the Community Based Flexible Supports Model for Delivering Mental Health Services.”

The culmination of over twenty (20) months of research, interviewing, analysis, and writing, the report compiles the perspectives of clients in the community mental health system and issues findings and fourteen (14) recommendations for strengthening the CBFS system.   DLC’s report also reviews the perspectives of CBFS vendors, the Department of Mental Health, and mental health and peer advocates.   

DLC’s recommendations discuss issues such as funding for the community mental health system, staffing levels, roles of peer specialists, human rights violations, and reforms needed to increase state oversight.

A pdf copy of the Unfinished Challenges can be accessed here.   A copy in MS Word is available here.

We welcome feedback from those who receive CBFS services, or from other stakeholders, as to how to make the CBFS system stronger.  We’d also like to hear your thoughts about our report.   Please feel free to comment using our feedback form.