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Moving care from hospitals to the community

These ideas were groundbreaking in the 1950s, when the default treatment for mental illness was hospitalization in an asylum. In 1957, more than 36,000 people lived in California’s state hospitals, and many were admitted without due process. 

Over time, research showed that institutional treatment was ineffective and even harmful for many people, and public opinion about mental illness began to change. Meanwhile, scientists developed medications that allowed more people to receive treatment in their communities. 

In the late 1950s, lawmakers and health care providers started to remake the system from hospital-based care to community-based care. This model is based on two key ideas: Most people can receive mental health care in the community setting. And offering these services in the community helps many people seek treatment sooner and achieve a fuller recovery.

California legislators enacted the Short-Doyle Act in 1957. This law transformed the funding and provision of mental health care by providing matching state funds. In 1968, the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act (LPS) expanded funding and required California counties with over 100,000 residents to launch mental health programs. 

LPS also required a judicial hearing to determine whether a person could be involuntarily hospitalized. Between 1957 and 1984, the California state hospital population dropped 84%. 

Our roots in Santa Clara County

Amid these sweeping changes in California’s mental health care system, three Santa Clara County agencies emerged as the forerunners of 51³Ô¹ÏÍø:

Avenues to Mental Health

Founded in 1953 as a Rehabilitation Planning Committee for Agnews State Hospital, Avenues to Mental Health was a pioneer in behavioral health care. Avenues opened Califo