Administrative relationships between community mental health centers and academic psychiatry departments

The authors reviewed the administrative relationships between academic departments of psychiatry and community mental health centers (CMHCs). By telephone, they surveyed the chairpersons of 110 departments of psychiatry with approved psychiatric residency programs and found that 87 (79%) had some type of administrative relationship with a comprehensive CMHC. Almost two-thirds of the chairpersons of these departments considered the CMHC to be of major importance to their educational programs. Only 8 (7%) of the 110 departments had discontinued their relationship with a CMHC. Most of the chairpersons whose departments were involved with a center were optimistic about the future of their programs in CMHCs.