LOUISIANA Community Mental Health Services Block Grant ...

of the departmental organizational structure, but not in a direct reporting line with OBH. The
Office of Behavioral Health maintains requirements for uniform data reporting through memoranda
of agreement arrangements supported by the Department of Health and Hospitals.
With the transition to local governing entities, the role of the Office of Behavioral Health (OBH)
will also transition to provide resources and assistance that enables the LGEs to carry out service
delivery. In addition, OBH ensures that the LGE service system is well coordinated with those
services that continue to be operated by the State (primarily the State-operated psychiatric
hospitals). OBH is also responsible for providing assistance in setting policy, establishing
minimum standards for the operation of the service system, establishing reasonable expectations for
service utilization and outcomes, and developing mechanisms statewide for measuring outcomes.
With the trend towards more local governing entities comes the importance of developing
mechanisms to assure continuity of care and consistency of standards of care that are responsive to
needs of consumers. Legislation has established roles and accountability mechanisms for DHH‟s
relationship with LGEs.
The original local Governing Entity, the Jefferson Parish Human Service Authority, has operated all
public mental health, substance abuse, and developmental disability services for that parish since
1989. A second LGE, the Capital Area Human Service District, was authorized by the legislature in
1998. This LGE includes several parishes, and integrates mental health, substance abuse,
developmental disability, and public health services in one regional system of care. Two LGEs
became operational in July of 2004, the Florida Parishes Human Services Authority and the
Metropolitan Human Services District. The South Central Louisiana Human Services Authority
(Region 3) officially transitioned from a Region to an LGE on July 1 st of 2010.
There are currently a total of 45 Community Mental Health Clinics (CMHCs), and 27 Outreach
locations that are operational in the State. The CMHCs provide an array of services including crisis
services, screening and assessment, individual evaluation and treatment, psychopharmacology,
clinical casework, specialized services for children and youth, and in some areas, specialized
services for those in the criminal justice system and for persons with co-occurring mental and
addictive disorders. OBH also provides additional community-based services either directly or
through contractual arrangements, including supported living, supported employment, family/
consumer support services (e.g., case management, respite, drop-in centers, consumer liaisons), and
school based mental health services. OBH (including the LGEs) has many contracts with private
agencies, funded by the Block Grant to provide a wide array of additional community-based
services. Historically, OMH operated as a managed care agent of the state Medicaid agency to
authorize and monitor quality and outcomes for mental health rehabilitation services operated
through private Medicaid provider agencies statewide. As of July 1, 2009, the Mental Health
Rehabilitation program was moved out of OMH and now operates under the Bureau of Health
Services Financing/ Medicaid Services, within DHH.
OBH provides for a continuum of care process to facilitate access to acute and/or intermediate/
long-term hospital placements. There are three state-operated intermediate/long term inpatient care
psychiatric hospitals that have a total of 322 Adult Civil Intermediate care beds: Southeast
Louisiana Hospital (SELH) in Mandeville, Eastern Louisiana Mental Health System (ELMHS) in
Jackson and Greenwell Springs, and Central Louisiana State Hospital (CLSH) in Pineville. One
hospital (ELMHS) includes a division that is solely designated for the treatment of the forensic
population; this setting has a total of 379 adult (intermediate) forensic beds. New Orleans
PART C LOUISIANA FY 2011 PAGE 48
SECTION I: ADULT & CHILD/ YOUTH –DESCRIPTION OF STATE SERVICE SYSTEM
OVERVIEW, REGIONAL RESOURCES, LEADERSHIP