CMHCM History

In September of 1959, the Michigan Society for Mental Health established a study committee to review the efforts of other states which had established community mental health programs. In May of 1961, the Michigan Senate established a special committee to study community mental health services. Based on the recommendation of the Senate special committee and with the support of the Mental Health Society, identical bills were introduced in both the House and Senate in February of 1963 to establish a community mental health services act in Michigan. On April 29, 1963, Governor George Romney signed into law Act 54 of the Public Acts of 1963 – Michigan’s Community Mental Health Services Act. On October 31, 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed into law the Community Mental Health Act (also known as the Mental Retardation and Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act of 1963), which drastically altered the delivery of mental health services and inspired a new era of optimism in mental healthcare. This law led to the establishment of comprehensive community mental health centers throughout the country. It helped people with mental illnesses who were “warehoused” in hospitals and institutions move back into their communities.