Effects of community mental health services on state hospital admissions: a clinical-demographic study.

In a study to refine the methodology for evaluating the impact of community mental health centers on state hospital admissions, data were gathered on hospital patients' demographic and clinical characteristics as well as on total admission rates. The study covered total inpatients admissions to a Pennsylvania state hospital from two counties for ten time periods, both before and after the establishment of local community mental health services. The authors found few consistent changes on most of the clinical and demographic factors for patients from either county, which indicated that the expansion of community services did not lead to changes in the type of patients admitted to the state hospital. However, the data did suggest that the expanded community services reduced the state hospital admission rates and shortened the length of hospital stay.