The Network of Care is unusual in that it marries mental health research and treatment on a national scope with up-to-date information about local services. The Network also allows people to keep personal health information in a secure area of the Web site. Selected portions of that information can be made available to others, such as health care providers, depending on limits set by the user.
"This is a new and different way of thinking," says Mike Hogan, director of the Ohio Department of Health and chair of the federal New Freedom Commission of Mental Health, which endorses the service. "With systems being so complex and fragmented, people don't know where to turn, and this Web site puts the information in the people's hands."
Last July, San Diego County was the first to launch the mental health portion of the Web site, which also hosts networks for children, seniors and others. The $225,000 project had a slow start with users reporting difficulty finding resources, but the database "has been reorganized and is constantly being improved," says Piedad Garcia, of the county's adult mental health services.
Thus far, users have told her office that it is helpful to have a resource for mental health information all in one site.
