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PENNSYLVANIA MENTAL HEALTH CONSUMERS' ASSOCIATION

The Community Support Program:
Many Minds, One Recovery

The Community Support Program, or CSP, of Pennsylvania is an alliance of mental health consumers, family members, and professionals working together to aid adults with severe mental illnesses and co-occurring disorders to live successfully in the community. The statewide coalition connects national CSPs with regional and local CSPs throughout the state. 

The Cornerstone of the Community Support Program is the integration of natural supports into the lives of those with mental illness. Help make a meaningful difference in the lives of consumers with serious mental illness by becoming involved with a local or regional CSP Committee.

Community Support Program committees offer a forum setting in Pennsylvania for consumers, family members, and professionals to speak their beliefs and values and promote system changes. These meetings have helped shape the way treatment services are delivered to consumers, improved the public's understanding that consumers and family members should be regarded as people first, and advocated for the implementation of quality treatments that support the recovery of those with serious mental illness. 

Regional Committees:

The Community Support Program has a committee for each of four regions in Pennsylvania. The regional committees are made up of individuals who are involved with their local CSP committees. 

Both the regional and local CSP committees provide a community-based line to CSP principles, education, information sharing, and for collective input on major successes and concerns regarding community mental health services. These concerns and other recommendations are shared with the OMHSAS Adult Advisory Committee and may also be shared with county MH/DS offices and organizations. 

The CSP Format filters information from the state adult advisory committee to the regional and local committees and also filters up the concerns, information, and ideas of the local committees. 

Principles of The Community Support Program:

Consumer Centered/Consumer Empowered: 
Services are based upon the needs of the individual and incorporate self-help and other approaches that allow consumers to retain the greatest possible control over their own lives

Culturally Competent: 
Services are sensitive, supportive, and responsive to racial, ethnic, religious, and gender differences of consumers and families

Designed to Meet Special Needs:
Services are designed to meet the needs of persons with mental illness who are also affected by other factors such as aging, substance abuse, physical illness or disability, intellectual disabilities, homelessness, or involvement with the criminal Justice system

Community Based/Natural Supports:
Services are provided in the most natural setting possible. Consumers are encouraged to use natural supports in their community and to engage in the living, working, learning, and leisure activities of the community. 

Flexible:
Services are designed to allow people to move in and out of the system and within the system as needed.

Coordinated:
Treatment Services and supports are coordinated across the community and the local system in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness of the services. This includes connections with consumers, families, advocates, and professionals at every level of the system of care. 

Accountable:
Service providers are accountable to the users of their services and include consumers and families in: planning, development, implementation, and monitoring and evaluating services

Strengths Based:
Services build on the strengths of consumers and help people maintain their personal identity, self-esteem, and dignity

Regional Committee Contacts

South East Region CSP

Meetings:
First Monday of the Month 
2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Meetings are held on Zoom.

Contact Julie at jwhitmore@hopeworxinc.org for info.

Subcommittees meet from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Full committee meets 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Location:
HopeWorx, Inc.
1210 Stanbridge St., Suite 600
Norristown, PA 19401

Technical Assistance Coordinator:

Julie Whitmore - 610-270-3685

Western Region CSP

Meetings:
Second Friday of the Month 
10:00 a.m.

Location:
Disability Options Network
831 Harrison Street
New Castle, PA 16101

Technical Assistance Coordinator:
Laurie Combs at CHAPS DIC 814-333-2924
WRCSP Toll Free: 866-400-0620

Northeast Region CSP

Meetings:
Third Tuesday of The Month 
10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
To add an Item to the agenda or other comments please contact the Tech. Assistance Coordinator

Location:
The Recovery Center
825 Jefferson Avenue
Scranton, PA 18510

Technical Assistance Coordinator:
Lynn Housekneckt - 570-682-0155

Central Region CSP

Meetings:
First Saturday of the Month 
10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Location:
Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers' Association
4105 Derry Street
Harrisburg, PA 17111

Technical Assistance Coordinator:
Diane M. Brown, 717-383-1299

Find a Local Community Support Program Committee

Click here to load this Caspio Cloud Database

Regional Service Area Planning Meetings

The six state hospitals in PA each maintain their own Regional Service Plan that was developed to provide for the needs of individuals leaving state hospitals and reentering the community. These plans address how to provide the needed services to ensure the consumer's needs are met within their own community to lower the chance of possible future hospitalizations. 

The Service Area Planning meetings are held in order to continue to ensure regional community service planning meet the following shared goals:

  • That no person will remain in a state hospital for longer than two years
  • That no person will be involuntarily committed to a community hospital more than twice in a year
  • That consumers of mental health services become less likely to enter the criminal justice system
  • That adequate system and community supports will be in place to accomplish these goal
Both Community Support Program participants and PMHCA attend the Service Area Planning committee. CSPs participate and provide needed input for addressing mental health recovery needs. PMHCA attends to learn from the communities present and to share a statewide perspective with the regional groups. 

PMHCA provides technical assistance to the Central Region and supports the Northeast, Southeast, and Western Regional Support Programs.

For more information or to add or update our Local committee information, please contact:
Kathy Quick at kathy@pmhca.org

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