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From the President's Freedom Commission to the State's Winds of Change to the City's Quality IMPACT, everyone is talking about improvements on a grand scale to the mental health system. Although these efforts bring providers and consumers together to decide what's best, none of them focus exclusively on what consumers need and want. But the consumer-run, Poughkeepsie-based PEOPLe, Inc. is filling that gap with its "white paper" on the mental health system. With help from the State Office of Mental Health's Bureau of Recipient Affairs, PEOPLe, Inc. has performed voluminous research on the best treatment practices, including the experiences of more than 200 consumers across the state. The principles below summarize that research. They outline how to organize the mental health system of the future along person-centered lines. For more information about People, Inc.'s white paper, which is still being drafted, contact Steve Miccio, Executive Director, at (845) 452-2728.

The Ten Rules for Quality Mental Health Services

There must be informed choice
It must be recovery-focused
It must be person-centered
There must be free access to records
It must be a system based on trust
It must have a focus on cultural values
It must be knowledge-based
It must be based on a partnership between consumer and provider
There must be a commitment to harm reduction
There must be access to care regardless of benefits or lack of