A COMMUNITY PROJECT FOR THE COOPERATIVE CARE OF MENTAL HOSPITAL PATIENTS: THE COOPERATIVE CARE PROJECT

This has been a pioneering venture, in which a community undertakes to share responsibility for the mentally ill with its State mental hospital. In the project, we have developed routines and methods which take advantage of existing community resources to bring about greater coordination of effort in understanding and meeting the problems of patients and their families. Inevitably, a great deal of contact and exchange of views and information between hospital staff and staff members of the participating community agencies have taken place, leading to increased mutual understanding and acceptance. A new kind of team relationship of social agencies and medical facilities has been set up as an integral part of the project, for the benefit of the mentally ill patient and his family.