ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH


      In its continuing concern for improved rehabilitation of the public
offender,
 DVR in cooperation with the division of corrections has established evaluation
and
 assessment centers at the state prison, Waupun, and at the Green Bay reformatory.
 DVR purchased the equipment for the vocational evaluation laboratory and
hired a
 vocational evaluator to operate each. The units make possible an evaluation
of the
 inmate's vocational and social skills and enable assessment of his potential
for
 institutional or community-based training.
      Better vocational rehabilitation service to Wisconsin's handicapped
will result
 from the management innovations now under way in the division. Management
by
 objective extends now to virtually the entire program. Greater efficiency
and lower
 cost will result from the division's extensive task analysis and work inventory
study.
 Development of a new program structure in the division improves resource
 allocations and decision making, and it facilitates analytic comparisons
and
 effectiveness of various programs.
     The division of mental hygiene's long-term goal is to provide a full
range of
 alcoholism and drug abuse, developmental disability, and mental health services
in
 the community. Bringing it closer to this goal were additions to chapter
51 of the
 Wisconsin statutes in 1971 and provisions of chapter 90 (the 1973-75 budget
bill),
 laws 1973.    This legislation made it necessary for all counties to establish
 comprehensive community services boards and developmental disabilities services
 boards.   All but 10 counties formed single, combined boards to fulfill
both
 requirements.
     Under these new boards, counties now plan and administer a network of
 services to the three disability groups rather than just the community mental
health
 clinic services, day services and county hospital care and treatment previously
 provided. By January 1974, all counties had submitted annual plans and budgets
to
 the division of mental hygiene, which administers the state's share (60%)
of the
 funding for local programs.  The community boards provide services through
 county-owned and operated facilities or by contract with state facilities
or other
 sources. Some of the 29 services provided through the community board structure
 include diagnosis and evaluation, transitional living facilities, inpatient
and
 outpatient care, detoxification for alcoholic and other drug abusers, emergency
care,
 counseling, and rehabilitation. With increasing emphasis on community programs
 the state mental hospitals at Winnebago and Mendota were renamed mental
health
 institutes, denoting their increased responsibilities as sources of special
services, in-
 service training, and program consultation. The state residential facilities
for the
 mentally retarded, primarily through their community services departments,
provide
 similar services to local programs.
     Alternatives to institutional living have been.developed at the state
facilities for
the mentally retarded (the three colonies). A major accomplishment has been
the
growing number of group foster homes for the retarded opening in cities throughout
the state. Through these homes, nearly 300 retarded persons have been returned
to
more normal living situations in the community.
     Legislation in the area of alcoholism, which eliminates public drunkenness
as a
crime, is giving added incentive to the development of community treatment
programs for alcoholism.
     Under the division of health the early and periodic screening, diagnosis
and
treatment program is available to more than 140,000 known title XIX (Medicaid)
eligibles under age 21 to screen for possible physical and mental conditions
requiring further diagnosis and treatment. Agreements have been signed statewide
to provide screening at the local level.
     The division has developed a single survey process for the inspection
of 500
long-term care facilities with a capacity of more than 45,000 beds. The new
process, to replace nine different survey forms, utilizes a computer program
to
match data reported on a single survey questionnaire to each of the enforcement
codes and printout violations of each code. By follow-up visits, surveyors
will
determine whether violation corrections have been made.


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