Changing models of community mental health services

The various comprehensive community mental health centers developed at the same time as the free clinics intended to provide an alternative form of service. The origins and contributions of each of these directions of service are compared on such matters as funding, political orientation, relation to local government, the composition and functions of their boards, and their models of service delivery. The case is made that the two forms have shown a degree of convergence that shapes the present reality of what is or is not a legitimate part of mental health services.