A quarterway house for adult psychiatric patients.

An intermediate step between living on a hospital ward and living in the community was considered necessary for many acute and chronic patients preparing to leave Harlem Valley Psychiatric Center in New York. A quarterway house program was initiated to help patients acquire the skills and coping mechanisms they could not easily acquire on a ward setting, but which they would need to meet the demands of living in the community. The quarterway house program described may offer ideas to others who are attempting to help patients prepare for living outside a state hospital.