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Targeted Case Management (TCM) and Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)

Targeted Case Management is a primary, direct service provided to adults or children with serious mental illness or emotional disorders who live in the community. TCM is designed to insure that individuals and their families gain access to needed medical, social, educational services as well as other agencies whose functions are to provide the support, training and assistance required for a stable, safe and healthy community life.

Services are offered through a variety of levels of care (LOC) to assist people in navigating through complex behavioral health challenges. There are specializations included within each level of care. Assignment to a specific LOC is based on individual need. The levels of care include:

• Targeted Case Management (Intensive, Resource Coordination and Blended)
  • Intensive Case Management. This service offers a more intensive level of support for individuals with a serious mental illness (SMI) who may also have significant substance use challenges. Intensive is recommended for persons who experience chronic homelessness and have frequent times of crisis. These individuals may be unable to obtain or maintain a safe placce to live or to identify, access and utilize needed treatment, family and/or community services. 24/7 coverage is also available.
  • Resource Coordination. A less intensive level of support primarily for individuals who may also have minor substance use issues and mild to moderate difficulty in accessing mental health treatment, and need temporary support to identify, access and utilize needed treatment, family and/or community services. Resource Coordinators are accessible weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
    • Prevention and Recovery Services (PARS) Provides services to individuals who have a SMI and have experienced a problem in their ongoing MH treatment or individuals who may be experiencing an initial MH episode and need to be connected with services for the first time. It is a short term/time limited service.
    • Connections/FaSST Provides services to individuals and Families who are affected by SMI and live in the Philadelphia shelter system
  • Blended Case Management. Teams that have both the intensive and resource coordination level of care integrated within a single team capacity.
• Children’s Case Management Services– specialized case management services for children and adolescents dealing with serious mental illness and/or substance abuse issues. Intensive Case Managers are available 24/7 and generally see children with behavioral challenges. ICM’s connect children and their families to needed mental health services as well as other community resources and supports. The ICM interfaces and advocates regularly with other relevant systems such as Intellectual disAbility Services, Juvenile Justice, Philadelphia School System and Department of Human Services.
• Community Treatment Teams– multi-disciplinary teams that provide personalized and intensive case management services to help adults with serious and persistent mental illnesses, often in conjunction with serious substance use and/or medical challenges. A high intensity service recommended for individuals who experience frequent hospitalizations, crisis visits, and mobile emergency services. These teams provide 24/7 service accessibility. Services include but are not limited to: case management, medication management, housing supports, employment counseling, etc.
• Continuity of Care Team– aggressive short-term behavioral health services to help adults and children access needed services to continue their care. Once the COC Team has stabilized a situation, the individual is referred to a long-term mental health provider. Services include:
  • Outreach/Engagement- to people needing behavior health treatment and support
  • Assessment/Linking- to determine treatment needs and directing people to needed services and support
  • Intervention- in situations requiring urgent care
  • Advocacy- working on behalf of someone to protect their interests, such as avoiding unnecessary inpatient hospitalizations

Assertive Community Treatment (ACT)
ACT is a self contained Mental Health program made up of a multidisciplinary Mental Health staff, including a peer specialist who works as a team to provide the majority of the treatment, rehabilitation, and support services individuals need to achieve their goals. ACT services are targeted to persons with severe mental illness, significant functional impairments, high utilizers of psychiatric inpatient, at high risk or history of criminal justice involvement, often with co-existing substance use challenges, experiences of homelessness and typically unable to participate in traditional mental health services. ACT is available to provide: 24 hour crisis assessment and intervention, symptom identification and management, medication monitoring and administration, co-occurring services, employment supports, skills teaching, peer support services and education and support to families and significant others.

Targeted Case Management (TCM) Unit – provides technical assistance and support to agencies across the county who provide the full array of case management services.

For more information and how to access Targeted Case Management and Assertive Community Treatment services contact the Targeted Case Management Unit at (215) 599-2150.