Mass. starts design of integrated model for dually diagnosed. (Massachusetts) (people with both substance abuse and mental health disorders)

Having long considered ways to better meet the complex needs of public-sector clients with co-occurring disorders, Massachusetts substance abuse, mental health and managed care officials are hoping a newly won federal grant takes them to the next level: an implementable, statewide integrated-care model for the dually diagnosed.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) has awarded Massachusetts a $150,000 community action grant for a one-year consensus-building process on optimal treatment strategies for persons with severe and persistent mental illness and a substance abuse problem. Though the exact shape of the integrated-care model is still to be determined, the blueprint for the discussions is a model espoused by Kenneth Minkoff, M.D., the former …