Mental Health - ICIRT - formerly Serious Mental Illness

We offer a range of services for Veterans...

Community Residential Care Program (CRC)

The Community Residential Care Program (CRC), established in 1951, provides supervised housing and health services to Veterans with medical, psychiatric, and/or psychosocial limitations.  It is an intermediate level of care for Veterans who do not need hospital or nursing home care, yet they are unable to live independently in the community. 

CRC homes provide a high quality, supportive, and structured environment in which Veterans can experience the responsibilities, rights, and privileges of community residential living, along with greater consumer choice in housing. The CRC program plays a vital role in recovery-oriented care, as placement and treatment is veteran-centered, meaning that the care provided is based on the Veterans’ own goals, priorities, and life circumstances.

There are currently 20 privately owned CRC homes or group living facilities in the Greater Boston and South Shore area serving about 145 Veterans. The CRC team makes the best match for the sponsor and Veteran based on the specific care needs of the Veteran. Each Veteran receives regular home visits from a CRC social worker to assist them with their identified goals, community resources, and medical and mental health care through the VA Boston Healthcare System.

To be eligible for the CRC program, Veterans must:

• Be enrolled as a primary care patient in the VA Boston Healthcare System
• Be medically and psychiatrically stable
• Be alcohol and drug free
• Be capable of self-preservation with minimal assistance
• Be agreeable to the program rules and regulations
• Have a minimum monthly income of $1000

For prospective sponsors: 

New CRC homes are admitted to the program on an “as needed” basis and sponsors with a professional background in the medical or mental health fields are preferred.  CRC homes come in many different forms and sizes; from a sponsor who wishes to have Veterans live with them in their primary home, to homes that are sponsor-managed with rotating staff. 

For a home to qualify as a CRC residence, the home owner (sponsor) completes an application, interview process, site visit, background checks, and a rigorous inspection by a VA interdisciplinary team.  Veterans pay a monthly fee and receive three home cooked meals per day, assistance with daily living activities, laundry services, medication supervision, and coordination of appointments and transportation. 

For more information on the CRC program, to make a referral, or if you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact the CRC Program Coordinator, Darryl Grosso, LICSW at .

Mental Health Intensive Case Management Program (MHICM)

The MHICM program addresses the needs of veterans living in the community with severe mental illness, primarily psychosis, as well as severe and persistent affective disorder and PTSD.

Services

• provide a great deal of community support
• reduce psychiatric symptoms & substance abuse
• decrease admissions to the hospital
• improve quality of life in the community
• improve veteran's satisfaction with their care

MHICM's treatment

• Frequent Contact -- veterans are visited two to three times a week at their home.
• Community Involvement -- services are provided in the community. We can include family members, landlords, or employers.
• Rehabilitation Focus -- we help veterans learn how to solve problems and learn skills so they can live in the community.
• Continuity and Responsibility -- veterans can get help wherever they are, for at least one year, and maybe longer.
• Transition to Standard Care -- the goal is for the veteran to continue to live in the community, gradually needing less support over time.

Referrals to this program are made through a psychiatrist and admission to the program is based upon specific eligibility criteria.

Psychosocial Rehabilitation and Recovery Center (PRRC)

The PRRC is an outpatient treatment program for veterans with serious mental illness and/or PTSD. Through a therapeutic learning environment, veterans gain hope, support, and experience with new skills.

Groups and activities address practical needs, symptom management, communication skills, overcoming stigma, mental health recovery and more.

Veterans typically attend several times a week for a portion of the day, and choose from a variety of offerings. The program mission is to assist veterans in establishing meaningful roles and relationships in the community of their choice.

Services

• To develop effective coping strategies, symptom management and learn how to make informed decisions, with concrete tips on how to gain a healthy way of life.
• To enhance social judgments and reduce interference from paranoia and suspiciousness. This can be very helpful for veterans who, at times, have difficulty understanding social cues. 
• To develop thinking, planning, attention, and memory skills with the use of computerized modules. This is important as some illnesses directly affect thinking abilities.
• To benefit from group activities and classes offered by staff who can share their own experiences of recovery from serious mental illness.

For more information...

Brockton Campus

940 Belmont St. Bldg. 22
Brockton, MA 02301

Causeway Outpatient Clinic

251 Causeway Street 3rd floor
Boston, MA 02114