Geographic patterns of funding for community mental health centers.

The author examines geographic patterns of funding for community mental health centers (CMHCs) between 1965 and 1980. Using data from the National Institute of Mental Health, he discusses the evolution of CMHC funding patterns and correlates state per capita funding within three time periods with indexes of social and financial well-being and innovativeness. The author concludes that although redistributing resources from richer to poorer states was not a major aim of the community mental health centers legislation, CMHC funding both nationally and within states was at least moderately redistributive.