INTRODUCTORY REMARKS
Bertram S. Brown, M.D.
Director, NIMH
November 15, 1977
Community Support Program press conference
DHEW Bldg., Washington, D.C.
Good afternoon. On behalf of my colleagues from the National Institute of Mental Health and the Department of HEW, I am pleased to welcome you to this press briefing. As you know, Secretary Califano could not be here because he is in Europe studying health financing systems in England and West Germany. Our purpose today is to highlight the activities and goals of a new program, one that we view as a direct and much needed response to a nationwide problem that all of you are familiar with. The code–word for the problem is “deinstitutionalization,” and it is popularly understood to mean the plight of mental patients who have been discharged from hospitals, most often to fend for themselves. The response that we will be describing is the Community Support Program. CSP is a multi–agency initiative; we are here because the NIMH is taking a lead role in its development. I can assure you at the outset that the CSP does involve complex partnerships among Federal, State, and local government agencies and among numerous service programs in mental health and human or social services. Many of the details are spelled out in the kits that were made available to you; also, to the extent that your time permits, we plan to answer questions directly. As for format, I’d like to give a brief introductory statement, I’ll give my partners an opportunity to comment, and then we will open for questions.
