The Setting and the Clients

Abstract

This book tells about the Gerontology Program of the Florida Mental Health Institute (FMHI), hereinafter referred to simply as the program, or our program. Founded by the state legislature with state funds in 1971, the FMHI is the primary change agent for shifting public policy away from custodial institutional care toward active treatment and rehabilitation. As conceived and implemented, FMHI has a tripartite mission: to provide service by conducting demonstration projects of new treatment and restorative and rehabilitation approaches; to conduct evaluative research in order to establish the effectiveness of new modalities; and to train public and private service providers in those methods and techniques that have been proven to be effective in addressing the problem of the state’s mental health clients. The institute was built on land provided by the University of South Florida and became operational in July 1975.