LOUISIANA Community Mental Health Services Block Grant ...

CRITERION 2
MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM DATA EPIDEMIOLOGY – QUANTITATIVE TARGETS
LOUISIANA FY 2011 ADULT & CHILD/ YOUTH PLAN
Setting quantitative goals to be achieved for the numbers of adults who are seriously mentally ill
and children and youth who are emotionally or behaviorally disordered, who are served in the
public mental health system is a key requirement of the mental health block grant law.
The Office of Mental Health has set a goal to increase access to mental health services to persons
with SMI/ EBD. Quantitatively, this means increasing the numbers of new admissions of persons
with SMI/ EBD. Quantitative targets relate to the National Outcome Measure (NOMS)
Performance Indicator “Increased Access to Services”. Louisiana reported this indicator in the past
as the percentage of prevalence of adults who have a serious mental illness who receive mental
health services from the Office of Mental Health during the fiscal year. The measure of the NOMS
is now requested to be reported as simply the number of persons who have a mental illness and
receive services.
The figures below should be interpreted with caution due to fluctuations and inaccuracies in
population figures following the hurricanes of 2005. After Hurricane Katrina/ Rita the population
of the state decreased, and efforts to reach the SMI population intensified. Through these efforts it
appears that the percent of prevalence in years after Hurricane Katrina/ Rita increased somewhat.
Given the numerous catastrophes and data problems that have occurred in the state in recent years,
perhaps more than any other criteria, the Indicators for Criterion #2 continue to be the most difficult
to predict or plan for.
NOTE: The data are more accurate this year than in the past. In the past, the Caseload
figures were inflated by cases that had not been “officially” closed, making it appear that
more individuals were being seen that actually were. A new process in the clinics
automatically cleans out information relating to clients who have not been seen for 9+ months.
This change will cause the numbers of persons on the caseload to appear to be smaller than in
past years.
PART C LOUISIANA FY 2011 PAGE 239
SECTION III: ADULT & CHILD/ YOUTH PLAN – CRITERION 2
MENTAL HEALTH SYSTEM DATA EPIDEMIOLOGY - INCIDENCE & PREVALENCE ESTIMATES