WHO WE SERVE

Who We Serve

Annually, the Center will serve approximately 1,900 adults with mental illness, 550 children and adolescents with an emotional disturbance or mental disorder, and 200 persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Approximately 21% of the people we serve are 17 years old or younger, while adults from 22-44 make up the majority of the people who come to us for help.  While we serve seven counties, around 1,650 children, adolescents and adults with mental illness and mental retardation or 62% of our served population, live in Victoria County.  The ethnicity profile follows that of the region's general population, with 55% White, 32% Hispanic, 11% Black and 2% other.  Over 78% of all the persons we serve report gross incomes of about $11,000 annually.  

Priority - Target Population Definitions

Adult Mental Health
The priority population for mental health services consists of Adults who have a severe and persistent mental illness such as schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder, or other severely disabling mental disorders which require crisis resolution or ongoing and long-term support and treatment. 

The target population for mental health services consists of adults who have a diagnosis of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and severe major depression.

Children and Adolescent Mental Health
The priority population for mental health services consists of children and adolescents between the ages of 3 and 17 who have a diagnosis of mental illness who exhibit severe emotional, behavioral or mental disorders and who:

Ÿ  Have a serious functional impairment

Ÿ  Are at risk of disruption of a preferred living or child care environment due to psychiatric symptoms; or

Ÿ  Are enrolled in a schools system’s special education program because of a serious emotional disturbance.

Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities:
The priority population for intellectual and developmental disability services includes those persons who request and need services and possess one or more of the following conditions:

Ÿ  Intellectual & Developmental Disability, as defined by Section 591.003(3), Title, Health and Safety Code.

Ÿ  Autism as defined in the current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM)

Ÿ  Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) as defined in the current edition of the DSM

Ÿ  Persons with related conditions eligible for Medicaid programs including ICF/IDD, HCS, and TxHmL.

Ÿ  Nursing facility residents eligible for specialized services for mental retardation or related conditions.

For persons with intellectual functioning and developmental disabilities, autism, or PDD, the priority population includes only those individuals whose needs for services can be most appropriately met through programs currently or potentially offered by the TDMHMR system rather than some other service system. The priority population does not include anyone whose service needs may be most appropriately met through other means, as determined by the State Authority (TDMHMR).

Texas Commission on Offenders with Mental Illness (TCOOMMI):  Individual must meet priority population criteria as defined by TDMHMR and currently be on probation, not parole, and reside in Victoria or Lavaca counties.