Initial hospitalization and community tenure outcomes of intensive case management for children and youth with serious emotional disturbance

Since 1988 New York State's Children and Youth Intensive Camse Management (CYICM) program has enrolled more than 1,700 children. The program goal is to maintain children in the least restrictive environment approriate to their needs. This linkagke and advocacy focussed program uses a small caseload and flexible service money to meet its goal. We review the program model, describe the enrolled children, highlight some of the problems associated with determining program outcomes, and present the outcomes related to hospitalization and community tenure. Using two analytic techniques, CYICM was shown to be associated with fewer hospital admissions and fewer days in the hospital over a two-year period following the intervention of CYICM than prior to enrollment.