Jim Cooney, LICSW, Director of Social Services at the Erich Lindemann Mental Health Center spoke to social work staff on July 11 on how to access services through the Department of Mental Health (DMH). A summary of part of the information he shared follows.

To become a DMH client a person must have a major or persistent AND severe mental illness that interferes with activities of daily life. For example, someone with bipolar illness who is able to hold a job and has involved family would not meet this eligibility criteria. Some indications that the illness interferes with activities of daily life are as follows: a high number or length of psychiatric hospitalizations, difficulty holding a job or inconsistent work patterns, persistent legal difficulties (even if minor offenses), homelessness or estrangement from family and friends. Axis II disorders can qualify if person meets other criteria. Substance abuse no longer rules out DMH eligibility. Organic impairments and mental retardation do rule out DMH eligibility. If someone is dually diagnosed with mental retardation and a mental illness the Department of Mental Retardation is responsible for providing services for that person. Even if your client already has Medicaid, the amount of mental health services Medicaid covers increases significantly if he/she becomes DMH eligible. So it is worth going through the eligibility determination process.

To learn if your client has already been determined eligible call the Metro Boston Eligibility Determination Unit at 727-4923 or 734-1300 and ask for the EDU. It may take a day to get back this information. To apply you need to complete a two-part application. The first part is called the Department of Mental Health Application for Adult Continuing Care Services. The second part is the Confidential Adult Clinical Summary Provided by Hospital or Primary Mental Health Provider. We have stapled the forms together and they are available in the Social Service hub offices. Forms need to be submitted to the appropriate cachement area and be completely filled out. DMH suggests that you make two follow-up phone calls- one as you are submitting forms and then another after 3-5 business days. The process can take 20 days once the application is complete.

Once client is deemed eligible, the Metro Boston Universal Referral Form should be used to request any and all types of service. Services that DMH covers include continued care inpatient treatment after a prolonged hospitalization, residential services, supported living, day treatment, center clubs, community college courses, job coaches, and case management. The referral form goes to the mental health center responsible for the specific client. You may ask the EDU which mental health center will treat your client. The Metro Boston cachement areas are roughly as follows: Lindemann- Beacon Hill, North End, Chelsea, Revere, Winthrop and East Boston. Solomon Carter Fuller- Dorchester, Roxbury. Mass Mental- Part of Dorchester, Allston, Brighton, part of West Roxbury. Bay Cove- the rest of West Roxbury, the South End.

The Directory to the Department of Mental Health, distributed at the presentation, is also available at Social Service hub offices. It includes numbers and contacts for all of the area offices and local service sites. The Directory is indexed by city and includes emergency/ crisis numbers. Feel free to call the Community Resource Center for more information on the DMH presentation.