Evaluation in the Community Mental Health Centers Program: A Bold New Approach?

The federal Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC) program -- from 1963 to 1981 -- was heralded as a revolution in mental health care. Championed by many, & severely criticized by others, the actual impact of the program on the nation's mental health remains unclear. The authorization to evaluate the CMHC program came originally from congressional legislation (PL 90-174), & later from the policies & regulations of the National Instit of Mental Health (NIMH) under a series of federal laws, notably PL 94-63. From 1976 to 1980, two dominant evaluation strategies were prevalent: funds expended by NIMH each year for studies of CMHC services or program-wide evaluations, & a much larger expenditure by CMHCs to conduct their own, independent evaluations following federal guidelines. As the program was turned over to the states in the form of block grants (PL 97-35), a group of professionals involved with setting & carrying out federal CMHC evaluation policy of both varieties met in public forum to debate the impact of these two evaluation approaches. While some participants cited gains in evaluation technology & impact on local management of CMHCs, others found the lack of a coordinated & systematic approach to evaluating the CMHC program to have been an opportunity missed. The impact of CMHC evaluation efforts are also discussed in terms of their major contribution to the field of evaluation research as a whole. 2 Appendixes, 56 References. HA.