The CMI (Chronically Mentally Ill) experience many problems in obtaining services in both rural and urban environments. Such problems include community resistance to the mentally ill, inadequate treatment services, support systems, a lack of service utilization, and a lack of follow-up studies concerning this population, especially in rural areas. While these problems are generally characteristic of all areas of the country, whether urban or rural, they tend to have extreme manifestations in rural areas. Such problems are also conjoint in rural areas with rural life poverty, isolation, transportation difficulties, and sparse populations. In order to understand the possible barriers to mental health services in rural areas, this study will concern itself with certain demographic data and possible transportation difficulties of the CMI population in the rural environments. Our geographical target area is Eastern Oregon Comprehensive Community Mental Health Center catchment area of the State of Oregon, Mental Health Division. The target population will be recent releases from Eastern Oregon State Hospital (EOSH) who reside in this region.

This study was undertaken in February and March of 1975 in order to provide in depth analysis of those seeking hospital admission. It is a descriptive study of requests for voluntary admission to Oregon State Hospital. Special care was taken to incorporate the study in such a way that the current admitting procedures would not be rearranged or changed in any way. Essentially the study asks the questions: Who makes self-requests for hospitalization? Where do they come from? When? How do they get there? Why do they come? What is the history of their contact with other community agencies for service or previous hospitalizat ion? How does the hospital respond to the requests? In order to better understand the dynamics of the requesting population, attention was focused on: The possible differences between those individuals admitted and those denied admission. The comparisons of requests for first admission and readmission. The relationship of age and sex differences to the other findings in the study