State Regulation of Residential Facilities for Adults with Mental Illness.

There is little national information on the policies and procedures used by states to regulate residential treatment facilities for adults and children with mental illness. As a result, policymakers and program administrators face major difficulties in determining both the effectiveness of current policies and the potential need for new policies that are responsive to emerging trends in mental health care. Two new reports, based on a 2003 survey of state officials, provide the most accurate national data available concerning methods that states use to license and regulate residential facilities for adults and children with mental illness. Findings demonstrated that organizations operating facilities for children and adults with mental illness typically faced a complex regulatory environment. In addition, many states lack ready access to important data about these residential facilities.