September 30, 2021
Every state has a State Mental Health Agency (SMHA), but states vary widely in where the SMHA sits within state government, the services it is responsible for, and how it organizes and funds these services. This report describes the organization and structure of the SMHA within state government. The report details where the SMHA sits within state government, how the SMHA Director/Commissioner relates to the Governor, what other disability responsibilities are combined with the SMHA (including Substance Abuse services and Intellectual/Developmental Disability services), specific mental health client groups and service settings the SMHA is responsible for, and how the SMHA organizes and funds community mental health services in each state.