Mental Health Services
Service Providers
- Designated Agency
- Specialized Service Agency
- Contracted Providers
- Referral Procedures for:
- Adults
- Children and adolescents
- Hospitalization
Designated Agencies
One Designated Agency (DA) is located in each geographic region of the state. They are responsible for ensuring needed services are available through local planning, service coordination, and monitoring outcomes within their region.
DAs must provide services directly or contract with other providers or individuals to deliver supports and services consistent with:
- available funding
- the state and local System of Care Plans
- outcome requirements
- state and federal regulations, policies and guidelines.
Some of the key responsibilities of a DA include:
- intake and referral
- assessing individual needs
- providing regional crisis response services
- seeing there is a comprehensive service network that assures the capacity to meet the support needs of all eligible people in the region.
Specialized Service Agencies
A Specialized Service Agency (SSA) is a separate entity that is also contracted. It must be an organization that either:
- provides a distinctive approach to service delivery and coordination;
- provides services to meet distinctive individual needs; or
- had a contract with Mental Health Services developed originally to meet the above requirements prior to January 1, 1998.
Contracted Providers
Contracted providers are providers who do not have a direct contract with Mental Health Services, but are non-profit agencies subcontracted through DAs and SSAs to provide supports to people in the region.