CHIPPs / SIPPs

What is CHIPPs and SIPPs?

• CHIPPs stands for: Community-Hospital Integration Project Programs.
• SIPPs stands for: Southeast Integration Project Programs, to differentiate the monies / programs associated with the Southeast Region counties and the closing of Haverford State Hospital in 1998.
• CHIPPs programs were developed in FY 1993/94 and FY 1996/97.
• The SIPPs programs began their development in FY 1997/98 and will continue on a four year plan until the year 2001.
• CHIPPs is an agreement between the County Office of Mental Health and The Department of Public Welfare to decrease the utilization of Norristown State Hospital.
• CHIPPs is a funding source.
• CHIPPs / SIPPs enables The Montgomery County Mental Health Program to integrate discharged patients into the community and, as appropriate, prevent State Mental Hospital admissions/ readmissions.
• The CHIPPs / SIPPs philosophy is to provide an array of community support services to persons in the least restrictive setting.
• In 1993, through CHIPPs,  15  consumers were discharged from Norristown State Hospital and those beds were closed to Montgomery County. However, many more persons receive the benefits from the CHIPPs funds. 
• In 1996/97, Through CHIPPs, 10  more consumers were discharged from Norristown State Hospital and those beds were closed to Montgomery County.
• In 1997/98, through SIPPs,  34  additional consumers were discharged from both Haverford and Norristown State Hospitals and again, those beds will be closed to Montgomery County.
• In 1998/99, through SIPPs,  4  additional persons were discharged from Norristown State Hospital and those beds were closed to Montgomery County.
• In 1999/00, through SIPPs,  28  persons were discharged from Norristown State Hospital and those beds were closed to Montgomery County. The bed cap dropped to  138  available beds.
• CHIPPs / SIPPs enables the start up of various new services, as well as enhancing existing services, in order to meet the needs of persons with severe and persistent mental illness.

Programs funded through the CHIPPs since 1993/94 are:

• Community Support Team ( CHOICE ) Serves a total of 26 designated persons in the community, who are high users of inpatient services in the Norristown area. The team has a psychiatrist, a nurse, 2 Intensive Case Managers and 2 Case Manager Technicians. The team is available 24 hours/day, 7 days per week. They are mobile and provide an array of support to the consumers.
• Consumer Satisfaction Team ( CST ) The CST is a team of mental health consumers, family members and professionals who evaluate the quality of mental health care in Montgomery County. The Team meets with consumers and family members of consumers to document their satisfaction with services and then make recommendations for change.
• New Options  New Options is a specialized shared, supported housing service, which provides 24 hour staff supports to older adults living in their own apartments within the community.
• H.O.M.E.S. Team  The new mobile supported housing program, HOMES Team, serves 20 consumers living in the community, with a variety of in-home supports. The HOMES Team offers a flexible, practical approach to giving persons supports in the living situation of their choice.
• Pottstown Consumer Center  Located in Pottstown, the Consumer Center, operated under the direction of Mental Health Association of SE Pennsylvania and Project SHARE, emphasizes meaningful involvement in a consumer-run center. Self-help, advocacy projects, homeless outreach, and a variety of other services are offered in the Drop-In Center. There is also a center in Norristown.
• In 1997/98 SIPPs      Specialized Supported Housing  Two (2) new licensed Personal Care Facilities:

1. Northwestern Human Services of Montgomery County Personal Care Home provides supported housing for eight (8) consumers in the Fort Washington, PA area.
2. Milestones Community HealthCare Personal Care Home in Roslyn, PA area provides supported housing for thirteen (13) consumers.

• New Options II   New Options II is specialized shared housing for six (6) consumers who have had long history of inpatient state hospitalization living in a community home with  24  hour staff support.
• SOLACE - Community Outreach Program  Non-crisis based outreach program to greater Norristown Boro providing education, identification and ongoing support to the community and persons with mental illness.
• Abington Drop-In Center  Operated under the direction of Mental Health Association of SE Pennsylvania and Project SHARE, emphasizes meaningful involvement in a consumer-run center. Self-help, advocacy projects, homeless outreach, and a variety of other services are offered in the Drop-In Center.
• Community Employment Program  Two new community employment programs:

1. The Gateway Employment Service provides supported employment services to  25  consumers who are primary SIPPs discharges from the state hospitals.
2. Goodwill Industries provides supported employment services to  10  consumers.

• New and Expanded Supported Living Programs   ACCESS Services provides individualized supports to meet the needs of the SIPPs consumer. This is a flexible supported living program designed to meet the individual's specific desires and needs.

New Services in FY 99/00

• Renaissance Community - A Specialized Supported Housing Program is designed to meet the specialized need of the MICA (Mentally Ill Chemical Abusing) consumers in a recovery based - relapse prevention model. Based in the Bryn Mawr area, this program serves 15 consumers.
• Keim Street Supported Housing - operated by Creative Health Services opened in February 2000 to provide apartment based intensive supported housing to  15  new consumers.
• MICA Case Management Team- through the CMMHC is a team of intensive case management staff whose primary concentration is to work with persons who have mental illness and histories of substance abuse.
• Representative Payee Program- operated by MHASEPA is able to provide representative payees to consumers who need assistance with managing accounts and budgeting.
• Friends Connection and outreach program that will be developed in the fall 2000 to provide peer psychosocial outreach supports to persons with mental illness and substance abuse histories.
• PA Institute for Community Living will be developing a Modified Therapeutic Community to serve  15  consumers with serious & persistent mental illness and substance abuse histories. This program is in development currently.

Existing mental health services that were enhanced through the CHIPPs

• CRR programs were increased both in capacity and in staffing.
• Psychiatric coverage through community outpatient clinics was increased to enable persons discharged from hospital to be seen in a timely manner.
• COMPEER
• Consumer Satisfaction Team
• Case Management
• Employment Programs- Gateway, Shopmates, Goodwill, DEC

Montgomery County has discharged as part of the CHIPPs ans SIPPs initiatives, to date,  92  consumers into newly developed specialized housing or enhanced existing housing. This final year of the four year SIPPs initiative (FY 2000/01), will discharge  28  consumers from Norristown State Hospital. This will bring the total number of persons discharged as part of the CHIPPs and SIPPs initiatives to 120 persons living in our communities.