RG 057/RG 057.06. Department of Mental Health, Retardation, and Hospitals, 1970-2010

Established in 1970, the Department of Mental Health, Retardation and Hospitals inherited the Department of Social Welfare's several medical and mental health programs. It was renamed Behavioral Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Hospitals in July 2010 (Public Law 2010, Ch. 101.) The department included a Division of Developmental Disabilities, responsible for planning, administering, and providing supports for adults with developmental disabilities by ensuring equitable access to, and allocation of, available resources; enhancing the quality of supports so that people can move toward personal futures of inclusion and participation in community life, and safeguarding them from abuse, neglect and mistreatment; a Division of Integrated Mental Health Services, responsible for planning, coordinating, and administering a comprehensive and integrated statewide system of mental health services. The service system that accomplishes this purpose is best described as a managed care system.The Division provides community day and residential services through a publicly operated program, Rhode Island Community Living and Supports (RICLAS). RICLAS supports approximately 260 people in various settings throughout Rhode Island. The Division of Hospitals and Community Rehabilitative Services provides hospital level care services that are licensed by the Department of Health (DOH) and accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). The Eleanor Slater Hospital’s licensed bed capacity is 495, across two sites: the Cranston Campus, with 306 beds, and the Zambarano Campus in Burriville, with 189 beds. The Cranston Campus provides acute medical-surgical services, long term impatient psycho geriatric and adult psychiatric treatment. The Zambarano campus is an important provider of long term and specialty rehabilitative care services. Hospital funding levels and full-time equivalent (FTE) position authorization dictate actual bed utilization and census.