Dickey B, Latimer E, Powers K, Gonzalez O, Goldfinger S M
McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA 02178, USA.
J Ment Health Adm. 1997 Summer;24(3):291-305. doi: 10.1007/BF02832663.
The goal of this study was to evaluate the costs, under two different housing conditions, to the state mental health agency of caring for adults who are homeless and mentally ill. One hundred and twelve clients of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, living in psychiatric shelters, were randomly assigned to one of two housing types: Evolving Consumer Households or Independent Living apartments. For the next 18 months each client was followed so that the cost of treatment, case management, and housing could be collected and compared. The authors found that treatment and case management costs did not vary by housing type, but housing costs were significantly higher for those assigned to Evolving Consumer Households. Regardless of original housing assignment, treatment costs were lower for clients who remained where they were originally placed. The authors conclude that providing support for clients that increases housing stability reduces their need for treatment and that independent living arrangements may be a more cost-effective policy choice.
本研究的目的是评估在两种不同住房条件下，州心理健康机构照顾无家可归且患有精神疾病的成年人的成本。马萨诸塞州心理健康部的112名居住在精神病庇护所的客户被随机分配到两种住房类型之一：逐步发展的消费者家庭或独立生活公寓。在接下来的18个月里，对每位客户进行跟踪，以便收集和比较治疗、病例管理和住房成本。作者发现，治疗和病例管理成本不因住房类型而异，但被分配到逐步发展的消费者家庭的人的住房成本显著更高。无论最初的住房分配如何，留在原安置地点的客户的治疗成本较低。作者得出结论，为客户提供支持以提高住房稳定性可减少他们的治疗需求，并且独立生活安排可能是更具成本效益的政策选择。
