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A planning and implementation group was created to respond to a severe shortage of public-sector children's inpatient beds in New Orleans. This group identified a large gap in the continuum between the inpatient unit, with its wide range of resources, and the five traditional mental health centers that provided medication management as well as social work contacts on a weekly to monthly basis. A unique "transition program" was created that has effectively bridged the gap between the hospital and the rest of the community. Data on the program, including clinical functioning data, improvement and severity ratings, data on recidivism, aftercare compliance ratings, and satisfaction surveys, have demonstrated that the program had a positive impact.

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