The federal Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) helps states expand resources and opportunities for people with serious mental illnesses to live in their home communities through The New Freedom Initiative (NFI) grant funds. CMHS has offered grants of $20,000 per year for three years to state Mental Health Authorities to support efforts to build coalitions to promote community based care.

NFI grant funds were initially used to conduct regional conferences focused on educating consumers and mental health professionals about the Olmstead decision. DMH staff helped the California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHSA) Long Term Care Council (LTC) develop the California Olmstead Plan using stakeholder input from across the state to establish its priorities. The plan was submitted to the California State Legislature in May of 2003.  

DMH was awarded a second round of funding from CMHS to continue Olmstead implementation activities in March 2004. This continued funding helped develop and conduct a pilot staff training that successfully transitioned people from Institutions for Mental Disease (IMD) into the community based on recovery–oriented, culturally-competent treatment and discharge planning. IMD administrators and staff as well as county personal service coordinators will be trained as the program expands. Many of the experiences of the initial pilot programs are captured in the final report on “Long Term Strategies for Community Placement: Alternatives to Institutions for Mental Disease” and is available here.  

For more information about California Department of Mental Health programs for adults, contact the DMH Adult and Older Adult Program  office at (916) 654-2147.