Strategies for cutback management in community mental health centers

The purpose of this study was to investigate administrative strategies which community mental health center directors were utilizing to confront declining financial resources. Thirty-two out of a total of 41 area directors in North Carolina who met certain criteria were the subjects, and their responses to a thirty item questionnaire were analyzed. Four strategies were both utilized and perceived as being effective: (1) increased efficiency of services; (2) increased efforts to obtain fees for service; (3) more economical modes of treatment; and (4) service reduction, but this strategy was recommended only as a last resort if all other strategies fail.