Louisiana State Office of Mental Health – Office of Behavioral Health – Mental Health Services

Address: 628 N. 4th Street
Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4049 Phone: (225) 342-2540 Website: http://new.dhh.louisiana.gov/index.cfm/page/97/n/116

The Office of Behavioral Health’s mental health services provides a variety of treatments for people who have different types of mental illness.
Services offered include:

• Crisis Management – The Office of Behavioral Health provides these services on a 24-hours basis to provide a quick, appropriate response for individuals experiencing acute distress. Services include telephone counseling and referrals, face-to-face screening and assessment, community housing for stabilization, and crisis respite.
• Day and Psychosocial Rehabilitation – These programs emphasize social and vocational skills, and provide opportunities for teaching new rehabilitative skills related to community living and work activities. Day and Psychosocial Rehab Programs build networks of peer support, teach self-help community activities, and provide a place where individuals can learn how to relate to others and communicate their needs and desires successfully. These programs provide secure, structured environments where people experiencing disruption in routine behaviors brought on by their illnesses can receive treatment and support, reducing the frequency and duration of hospital stays. Day programs also provide structured activities that allow children and adolescents with severe emotional disturbances to remain in school.
• Family Support Services – These programs ensure that families have the necessary support, information and skills to cope, maintain family integrity, and enhance the likelihood that children who have serious emotional disturbances can successfully remain at home. Program elements include respite care, education, telephone support, parent support groups, parent case manager training, home aide services, transportation, and advocacy services. OBH also offers supported living services, either through specialized residential programs or through case management and other services that support people with mental illnesses living in their own homes. Individuals who have serious psychiatric disabilities are provided with the services necessary to address their housing and mental health/rehabilitative needs. The types of housing resources available for adults include group homes, supervised apartments, respite apartments, board and care homes, foster care, and individual residences with support

Mental Health Treatment Facilities included:

• Mental Health Clinics – The Office of Behavioral Health is currently treating more than 43,000 adults and children with serious mental illnesses or emotional disturbances through clinics throughout the state. These mental health clinics provide a variety of services, including screening and assessment, emergency crisis care, individual evaluation and treatment, medication administration and management, clinical casework services, specialized services for children and adolescents, specialized criminal justice services, specialized services for the elderly and pharmacy services. Inability to pay does not affect receipt of services.
• Specialized Inpatient Facilities – OBH operates three state psychiatric facilities that provide mental health evaluation, treatment and rehabilitation services for adults who have severe and persistent mental illnesses. These facilities also treat children and adolescents with serious emotional or behavioral disorders.
• Acute Units – OBH operates these units to provide psychiatric, psychosocial and medical services in compliance with all licensing and accreditation standards to meet individual patient needs for adults, children and adolescents in an inpatient treatment environment that is less restrictive, shorter term and more cost-effecting than long-term hospitalization