title: From tragedy to triumph: a segue to community building for children and families.
abstract: In 2000, more than 60 nonprofit agencies, health care providers, government officials, and community advocates in Tarrant County, Texas, came together to work for systemic change in the mental health care system. The coalition, known as the Mental Health Connection, began working toward a "No Wrong Door" approach to mental health services, which required aggressive coordination between federal, private, and nonprofit resources. The result is a five- to six-year plan for implementation of a new systems of care model for children with severe emotional disturbances and their families. The Mental Health Connection also focuses on legislative advocacy to bring about necessary policy changes at the local, state, and federal levels. Finally, the coalition focuses on developing sustainable revenue streams that will allow the new systems to remain in place once the group accomplishes the initial mission of the Mental Health Connection.
authors.affiliation: Lena Pope Home, Inc., Fort Worth, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Steves
authors.forename: Ted
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Blevins
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019058:Community Networks; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D006801:Humans; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009935:Organizational Affiliation; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D011050:Policy Making; D013781:Texas