41.42 - Family support programs.

§ 41.42 Family support programs.    The  commissioner  of mental health, directly or through contract, and  within amounts made available therefor, shall establish a family support  program. The purpose of the program shall be to examine  the  impact  of  the  provision  of  educational and support services on the incidence of  hospitalization. Such services  shall  be  provided  to  family  members  caring for chronically, mentally ill relatives at home and shall include  but  not  be  limited  to  ongoing psychoeducational training which will  enhance the family's ability to care for disabled relatives at  home  by  assisting  them  in  understanding  the  nature  and cause of the mental  illness and providing them with the knowledge of strategies for handling  the symptoms and behavior of disabled family members.  The  commissioner  may  authorize  the  development  of  a training curriculum, and a staff  training program to implement this program and to design and  carry  out  an evaluation of this program.