Program for Mentally Ill Receives Grant

A pilot program aimed at keeping seriously mentally ill people “out of hospitals and helping them to live quality lives in the community” has been awarded a four-year, $12-million grant by the state Department of Mental Health, officials said Thursday.

The grant will fund a pilot program run in Long Beach by Los Angeles County’s Mental Health Assn., said Ann Stone, the private, nonprofit association’s associate executive director.

Stone said the project will serve 200 people. She said the program is different from others in that the money allocated is based on the individual client’s needs, with an annual cap of $15,762. Maintaining a mentally ill person in a hospital costs $300 to $500 a day, she said.

A part-time psychiatrist will be available for every 40 clients, Stone said. In addition, those clients will be served by four other staff people. The program will begin July 1 and should be fully operational by April 15, she said.

“We are recognizing that serious mental illnesses are diseases,” Stone said. “They need to be treated as diseases. The other part of this approach is to help them live in the community.”