Pentavalent treatment: preliminary effects on state hospital utilization.
The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine if a low-cost alternative to assertive community treatment (ACT) programs could achieve results comparable to those previously reported by high-fidelity ACT programs with regard to state hospital utilization by patients with long-term, treatment-refractory serious mental illness and high rates of hospital recidivism. A sample of 30 patients was exposed to a low- cost alternative to ACT for a 12-month period. A quasi-experimental research design was used to compare state hospital utilization by the treatment group and a matched comparison group. The treatment group exhibited significantly less state hospital utilization than the comparison group and had an 88% reduction in state hospital utilization in comparison to its 10-year baseline. Low cost alternatives to ACT programs may be as effective as high-fidelity programs in reducing state hospital utilization and may be more easily adaptable to the current structure, operation, and financial constraints of community mental health centers.
Western Mental Health Center, Jefferson County Department of Health, Birmingham, Alabama 35218, USA.
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Scheifler
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Hayes
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Glaser
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Hobbs