(a) Within the limits of available resources, it is the goal of the state to develop and maintain a system of care that provides a comprehensive array of quality prevention, early intervention, treatment, habilitation and rehabilitation services and supports that are geographically available, equitably and efficiently allocated statewide, allowing people to be in their own communities in settings, based on the needs and choices of individuals and families served.

Terms Used In Tennessee Code 33-2-102

  • Department: means the department of mental health and substance abuse services. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
  • Mental illness: means a psychiatric disorder, alcohol dependence, or drug dependence, but does not include intellectual disability or other developmental disabilities as defined in title 52. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
  • Serious emotional disturbance: means a condition in a child who currently or at any time during the past year has had a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder of sufficient duration to meet psychiatric diagnostic criteria that results in functional impairment that substantially interferes with or limits the child's role or functioning in family, school, or community activities and includes any mental disorder, regardless of whether it is of biological etiology. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
  • State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105
  • Support: means any activity or resource that enables a service recipient to participate in a service for mental illness or serious emotional disturbance or in community life. See Tennessee Code 33-1-101
(b) The state’s purposes are to:

(1) Establish and sustain a broad range and scope of flexible services and supports across the domains of residential living, working, learning, community participation, and family support, including crisis, respite and other emergency services, that help service recipients maintain respected and active positions in the community; and
(2) Promote the early identification of children with mental illness, serious emotional disturbance, developmental disabilities, and developmental delay to assure that they receive services and supports appropriate to their developmental level and changing needs.
(c) The general assembly finds as facts that the needs of persons with mental illness, serious emotional disturbance, and developmental disabilities cannot be met by the department in isolation and that those persons need to receive services and supports that are integrated, have linkages between and among other human service agencies and programs, and have mechanisms for planning, developing, coordinating, and monitoring services and supports to meet their needs.
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