Outpatient Psychiatric Clinics in the United States, 1954–55

Mental Health Policy in America: Myths and Realities

“…Psychiatrists proved staunch proponents of a community-oriented policy, for they insisted that early identification and treatment in outpatient facilities or private offices diminished the need for subsequent hospitalization and were cost-effective. 12 Support for a community-based policy increased steadily during the 1950s; the Governors' Conference and Council of State Governments, as well as private foundations such as the Milbank Memorial Fund, played important roles in marshalling support for innovation. In 1954 New York enacted its influential Community Mental Health Services Act, which provided state funding for outpatient clinics; California followed suit shortly thereafter with the passage of the Short-Doyle Act.…”