There is no denying that managed care is changing the way mental health services are delivered in both the public and private sectors. The shift to managed care in some states has been rapid and complete. What are mental health planning councils to do about this situation? As the federally mandated citizen oversight bodies, planning councils are asked to regularly review, monitor and evaluate community based mental health services. Yet, planning councils sometimes lack the information and tools necessary to successfully accomplish this important task. Managed Care and the Role of Mental Health Planning and Advisory Councils used case examples, focused presentations, and group discussions to enable planning councils to understand, review, monitor and evaluate the operations of managed care in the public sector more effectively. This regional conference targeted planning council members and other advocates from Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming. (NAMHPAC)
