Department of Behavioral Health & Mental Retardation Services (DBH/MRS)

Recovery, Resilience & Self-Determination

Welcome to the City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health & Mental Retardation Services (DBH/MRS) Web site. Our goal is to develop a Web site that is responsive to the people we serve and collaborate with, while highlighting our efforts around recovery, resilience and self-determination. DBH/MRS has integrated its behavioral health care and services for individuals with intellectual disabilities into a comprehensive system of supports that promote resilience and recovery. I am excited to be able to use this medium to provide an array of information about the services we provide.

DBH/MRS is comprised of the Office of Mental Health (OMH), Office of Addictions Services (OAS), Mental Retardation Services (MRS), and Community Behavioral Health (CBH). This integrated behavioral health system serves more than 120,000 people with mental health, intellectual disabilities, substance abuse, and/or co-occurring conditions who are eligible for medical assistance as well as those who are uninsured or underinsured. The Philadelphia Behavioral Health System has become a national model for delivering integrated behavioral healthcare to the public sector.

DBH/MRS employees strive to embrace and fully implement a vision of self-determination, resilience and recovery. We continue to focus on shifting from a crisis-oriented, professionally focused model of care to a model of care directed by the person in recovery. In this model, professional treatment is one aspect among many that support people in managing their own conditions and in building their own recovery resources. The recovery process is a lifetime journey.

Transformation to a recovery orientation in both addictions and mental health becomes possible by focusing on the central role of individuals and families in responding to, managing, and overcoming these serious illnesses. It is critically important to use this focus as an organizing point for the DBH/MRS system.

We also strive to help people with intellectual disabilities live self-determined lives in their communities by providing quality supports and services.

Please take a moment and tour our Web site, and come back repeatedly. Let us know what improvements we can make. It is our goal to have a Web site that meets the needs of our stakeholders, and your suggestions will help guide us in this effort. I hope you enjoy the Web site, learn about DBH/MRS current and future initiatives, and find the information you need.

Welcome again to the Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Mental Retardation Services Web site.

Arthur C. Evans, Jr., Ph.D., Director
Department of Behavioral Health and Mental Retardation Services