Objective: This study provides national data on community mental health centers' (CMHCs') capacity to screen for and address their clients' general medical conditions.
Methods: A survey was distributed to members of the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare, the oldest and largest association of CMHCs.
Results: Among the 181 CMHCs responding to the survey, more than two-thirds reported having protocols or procedures to screen for common medical problems (hypertension, obesity, dyslipidemia, and diabetes). However, only one-half could provide treatment or referral for those conditions, and less than one-third could provide general medical services on site. Barriers to providing general medical services included problems in reimbursement, workforce limitations, physical plant constraints (for example, lack of available space or equipment), and lack of options for referrals to local community medical providers.
Conclusions: Although most CMHCs had the capacity to screen for common medical conditions, they reported a variety of barriers to providing medical care for those problems either on site or via referral.