Outpatient services shall consist of evaluation and treatment services provided on an ambulatory basis for the target population. Outpatient services include psychiatric evaluations, medication management, and individual, family, and group therapy. In addition, outpatient services shall include specialized outpatient services directed to the following segments of the target population: children, elderly, individuals who have serious and persistent mental illness, and residents of the service area who have been discharged from inpatient treatment at a mental health facility. Outpatient services shall provide elements of diagnosis, treatment, and appropriate follow-up. The provision of only screening and referral services does not constitute outpatient services.

 Twenty-four-hour emergency services shall be provided through a system that provides access to a clinician and appropriate disposition with follow-up documentation of the emergency service provided. A patient shall have access to evaluation and stabilization services after normal business hours. The range of emergency services that shall be available to a patient may include but are not limited to direct contact with a clinician, medication evaluation, and hospitalization. The emergency services may be provided directly by the center or in collaboration or affiliation with other appropriately accredited providers.

 Day treatment, partial hospitalization, or psychosocial rehabilitation services shall be provided as structured day programs in segments of less than twenty-four hours using a multidisciplinary team approach to develop treatment plans that vary in intensity of services and the frequency and duration of services based on the needs of the patient. These services may be provided directly by the center or in collaboration or affiliation with other appropriately accredited providers.

 Admission screening services shall be available for patients considered for voluntary admission to a state mental health institute to determine the patient’s appropriateness for admission.

 Community support services shall consist of support and treatment services focused on enhancing independent functioning and assisting persons in the target population who have a serious and persistent mental illness to live and work in their community setting, by reducing or managing mental illness symptoms and the associated functional disabilities that negatively impact such persons’ community integration and stability.

 Consultation services may include provision of professional assistance and information about mental health and mental illness to individuals, service providers, or groups to increase such persons’ effectiveness in carrying out their responsibilities for providing services. Consultations may be case-specific or program-specific.

 Education services may include information and referral services regarding available resources and information and training concerning mental health, mental illness, availability of services and other support, the promotion of mental health, and the prevention of mental illness. Education services may be made available to individuals, groups, organizations, and the community in general.