Survival strategies for community mental health organizations: a conceptual framework

Changing conditions call for each Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) to develop a survival strategy based on its own standards and values. The strategy must contain political, funding, programmatic, structural and role change components. A CMHC must orchestrate its strategy as part of an overall survival plan, but may be constrained by the degree of control it has over programs and resources. Major types of risks associated with entrepreneurial (viz., high control over programs and resources) and restricted models (viz., low control over programs and resources) are reviewed.