Editing Philadelphia Mental Health (section)

== Current System ==

=== Department of Behavioral Health ===

The Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services (DBHIDS) oversees publicly funded behavioral health services in the city. The department contracts with providers, develops policies, and coordinates systems serving Medicaid recipients and uninsured residents. This governmental role in system design and funding distinguishes behavioral health from medical care, where market forces play larger roles.<ref name="mentalhealth"/>

=== Community Behavioral Health ===

Community Behavioral Health (CBH) is the nonprofit managed care organization administering Medicaid behavioral health benefits in Philadelphia. CBH contracts with hundreds of providers offering outpatient therapy, case management, crisis services, and residential treatment. This managed care structure attempts to coordinate fragmented services while controlling costs, with mixed results.<ref name="mentalhealth"/>

=== Crisis Services ===

Crisis services provide immediate response for psychiatric emergencies. Mobile crisis teams respond in communities, while crisis centers offer alternatives to emergency room visits. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline connects callers to local resources. Despite these services, many people in psychiatric crisis still present to hospital emergency departments where behavioral health expertise varies and wait times can be prolonged.<ref name="mentalhealth"/>

=== Inpatient Psychiatric Care ===

Acute psychiatric hospitalization occurs at units within general hospitals and at remaining psychiatric facilities. Philadelphia's inpatient psychiatric capacity has declined with hospital closures and unit conversions, creating bed shortages when demand exceeds availability. Patients sometimes wait days in emergency departments for psychiatric beds, a problem that has worsened as capacity has contracted.<ref name="mentalhealth"/>