CLIENT SERVICES ENTRY

PROGRAM MISSION: To ensure individuals entering Behavioral Healthcare services receive timely and comprehensive assessment, evaluation and linkage to appropriate services.

• Emergency Services are mandated for individuals experiencing an acute psychiatric/psychological crisis. The goals of the service are to prevent the escalation of mental health crises, relieve the immediate distress of individuals in crisis, prevent individualsfrom doing harm to themselves or others, and make appropriate referrals for both medical and non-medical interventions for those with ongoing needs. The Emergency Services Program also provides mental health assessment, crisis intervention, stabilization, support, short-term counseling, on-call psychiatric services, follow-up services, and critical incident stress management services. In addition, pre-admission screening is provided for individuals who require voluntary or involuntary hospitalization and residential crisis stabilization at the Arlington Community Crisis and Emergency Stabilization Services (ACCESS) facility (opened in FY 2004). Preliminary assessments are conducted by Emergency Services staff and encompass the initial assessments provided to all consumers who are requesting mental health services at the Community Services Board (CSB). These assessments lead to linkages in any of the outpatient mental health programs, or to referrals within the community.

• Discharge Planning Services are provided to consumers in the state psychiatric hospitals. These services ensure access to needed community mental health and dual diagnosis services for individuals in state hospitals who are ready for community placement by conducting comprehensive assessments to determine the type and intensity of aftercare services needed. Discharge Planning services are provided for consumers at Northern Virginia Mental Health Institute, Central State Hospital and Western State Hospital.

• DAP (Discharge Assistance and Diversion Project) is a state-funded regional initiative to facilitate patient reductions within the state hospital system. The level of services provided depends on the needs of the consumers, and ranges from a highly specialized group home to intensive supported living services. All decisions for the utilization of these funds are made through a regional workgroup composed of mental health leadership in Arlington, Prince William, Loudoun, and Fairfax Counties and the City of Alexandria. Another component of the DAP initiative is state hospital diversion funding. This includes private bed purchase, via state contract, at local psychiatric hospitals to divert consumers from state hospital beds. This component also provides short-term funds (e.g., rental assistance) to consumers who require financial assistance that will facilitate their discharge from a local or state hospital bed.

• Homeless Case Management Services seek to efficiently assess and link homeless, seriously mentally ill and substance abusing adults to appropriate mental health and substance abuse services as well as appropriate housing resources. Services are provided by CSB staff to individuals with substance abuse disorders and/or mental illness who are residents of Arlington.

• Transition Team Services provide assessment and short term case management, medical and counseling services to adults either prior to linking to long-term behavioral healthcare services or to other more appropriate services elsewhere.

SIGNIFICANT BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS:

• The decrease in non-personnel is primarily due to the transfer of a Discharge Assistance Planner to Substance Abuse Services, along with the associated non-personnel costs.

• The increase in nonprofits ($110,000) is due to the Arlington Aftercare funding (continuation of an FY 2005 supplemental grant) that will be used for supplementing existing supported living services and serving additional customers. 

• Increase in Medicaid State Plan Option revenues ($5,278) is due to reallocating revenues to programs within Mental Health as a result of the recent reorganization.

• Increase in state share revenues is due to the net effect of adding Arlington Aftercare grant funding, and the reduction of the LPACAP funds associated with the FTE transferred to Substance Abuse Services. 

• Decrease in FTEs (1.0) is due to the transfer of a Discharge Assistance Planner to Substance Abuse Services.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES:

Emergency Services

• Preliminary assessments became operational in March 2004. FY 2005 and FY 2006 measures represent full-year estimates.

• Satisfaction with emergency service intervention is a new performance measure as of March 2004. Survey provided to walk-in clients (not persons assessed due to temporary detention orders) during one-week period. Completed quarterly.

• FY 2002 total services hours and consumers served reflect the high number of contacts due to work done related to 9/11/01.

Discharge Planning

Discharge Assistance and Diversion Project (DAP)

Homeless Case Management

Transition Team Services