November 2, 2009

Arizona's Public Behavioral Health Care System: Critical Issues in Critical Times

The report was prepared jointly by Arizona State University's Center for Applied Behavior Health Policy and Morrison Institute for Public Policy. It draws from a discussion among policy experts held at a July 2009 Summer Institute conference, and offers insights into the system's strengths and vulnerabilities, and explores potential solutions. The panelists, all professionals in behavioral and mental health policy, agreed that Arizona's system has a commitment to community-based care that keeps most patients out of institutions, but that gaps exist for people not eligible for Medicaid, and in the availability of community support services, such as food and housing, not deemed medically necessary by Medicaid policy.