Community residents and mental health center staff: assessment of program and priorities.

Mental health professionals have emphasized the importance of establishing priorities and goals and gearing the delivery of mental health services to the needs of area residents. Sound View-Throgs Neck Community Mental Health Center of New York has made such an effort to involve the community residents and the mental health center staff in establishing priorities for development of the new program for services in the community. We have outlined the methods of gathering such information, and implementation of the conclusions derived from the survey which has resulted in developing comprehensive children's services and a geriatric program in our catchment area.