The CMS Mental Health Unit Residential Treatment Facility for Adults (RTFA) is a structured sub-acute mental health/residential treatment program.

The program was established to work with both psychiatric emergency services and community treatment programs by evaluating and treating consumers who are at the beginning of an acute psychiatric incident in a structured residential setting, thereby eliminating a costly and long term inpatient hospitalization.

In addition, the Mental Health Unit works closely with community inpatient hospitals in an effort to reduce a consumer’s length of stay in the hospital and better prepare them for integration into community residential and treatment settings.

This sub acute unit offers short-term, highly structured residential services in addition to a comprehensive psychiatrically supervised treatment program including individual assessment, psychiatric evaluation, group and individual counseling, medication monitoring and social rehabilitation.

The Mental Health Unit also provides case management services to ascertain the quality and quantity of unmet service needs. The clinician/case manager will then assume responsibility of helping the client meet those needs while at the Mental Health Unit. Clients are linked with service providers who will be responsible for post-discharge service and treatment.

The program is staffed 24 hours a day with a highly trained treatment team including counselors, nurses, a therapeutic specialist, case managers and a psychiatrist. The treatment team’s experience with inpatient, residential, transformed day programs (community integrated rehabilitation centers) allows for delivery of full scale therapeutic services.

As part of the overall treatment process, special attention is focused on assisting clients in formulating realistic discharge and aftercare plans. These have included referrals to long term structured residential programs, licensed personal care boarding homes, independent living situations and when appropriate, with a significant family member. In addition, all clients are assisted in making arrangements for follow-up clinical services at their local community mental health center.

The CMS RTFA focuses on the development of a comprehensive aftercare plan which will be based on the individual needs of the client. It is expected that at the time of discharge, clients will show a reduction in symptomatology, stability in the medication regime and a willingness to accept and participate in the aftercare plan. Prior to discharge, CMS staff and the appropriate community aftercare treatment program will have discussed the aftercare plan in detail so as to provide a seamless entry into the next level of care.

Program Summary:

  • Age Group – 18 and over
  • Who can refer – Referrals to the CMS Mental Health Unit come from a variety of sources including community inpatient psychiatric units, numerous city-wide psychiatric emergency services and a variety of community mental health centers.
  • Eligibility – All consumers must be ambulatory with no acute medical malady, willing to comply with treatment and must have a primary psychiatric diagnosis.
  • Length of Treatment – Time spent at the Mental Health Unit typically lasts no more than 30 days.
  • Location – 2401 Penrose Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19145
  • For More Information, call 215-755-6203