[Psychiatric patient continuum community care in Taichung Country]

Deinstitutionalization and the implementation of community psychiatry rehabilitation models define the future of psychiatric medical care in Taiwan. As such, managing and caring for psychiatric patients at the community level are increasingly important public health issues for county and city governments. A local public health authority in Taichung County established a collaborative relationship with a university-level nursing department during 2007 - 2008 in order to provide more effective continuous community care for psychiatric patients. This cooperative arrangement provided continuous community care for psychiatric patients in the County by implementing aftercare for psychiatric patients that was delivered through community-level public health centers, which conducted patient visits, developed discharge notifications for severe psychiatric patients in mental health institutions, and strengthened connections among related resources. To establish continuous community care for psychiatric patients, it is necessary to enhance training and support for health recipients as well as nursing staff in public health centers through measures that include: implementing discharge preparations and notifications in mental health institutions, improving the quality of community-based psychiatric patient visits, and connecting and integrating relevant resources effectively.