The effectiveness of planning for community mental health center inpatient units

The number of beds identified among 308 community mental health centers in operation in 1972 bore little relation to inpatient case load or to the proportion of center patients likely to require hospitalization. Analysis of occupancy data indicated that there was a surplus of beds in many centers. These findings suggest a lack of effective planning for community mental health center impact on the nature of psychiatric treatment provided. This is suggested by the close relationship between inpatient capacity and average duration of stay.