Creating A Continuum Of Care For Older Persons With Behavioral Health Needs In Southeast Pennsylvania

Introduction

The Delaware Valley Mental Health Aging and Advocacy Committee (DVMHAAC) is a coalition of 60 aging and mental health administrators, service providers, consumers and advocates from Philadelphia and the adjoining suburbs established in 1989 to "advocate for the expansion, improvement, and development of affordable, appropriate, and accessible behavioral health services for Pennsylvanians 60 years of age and older and their families.

DVMHAAC's accomplishments include establishing the Mental Health and Long Term Care Task Force (to educate nursing home and personal care staff on the mental health needs of their residents) and participating in the Joint Committee on the Mental Health of Older Persons. DVMHAAC also has lobbied for services that meet the unique needs of older adults, and was successful in getting older adults designated by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a special needs population for mental health services.

In April 1999, a DVMHAAC strategic planning retreat facilitated by Cynthia Zubritsky, Ph.D., Center for Mental Health Policy and Services Research, University of Pennsylvania, clarified its mission, goals and objectives and its role in advocating for services for older adults. As a first step, this position paper outlines a continuum of care appropriate to this population.