Programs and services

About 12,000 patients and clients receive treatment and other services at DHS-operated health care facilities each year. Currently, about 4,500 employees provide these services at nearly 200 sites statewide (PDF). Admission to our inpatient treatment facilities and other programs is by referral only. Referrals generally come from county social services, the courts or other health care providers.

Learn more about the full array of our programs and services below.

Adult mental health services

Overview

DHS provides specialized inpatient, residential and related treatment supports for people with mental illness. The facilities are not open to the general public. Most patients have been admitted after being civilly committed by a court.

Anoka-Metro Regional Treatment Center

The Anoka-Metro Regional Treatment Center (AMRTC) is the state’s largest psychiatric hospital. Overseen by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS), the hospital operates 110 beds on a secure campus in Anoka, MN. The facility serves patients who have complex mental illnesses and behavior disorders and cannot be treated in community settings. Learn more.

Community Behavioral Health Hospitals

Our network of six Community Behavioral Health Hospitals (CBHHs) provide short-term inpatient psychiatric care at six regional facilities in communities across the state. Learn more.

Minnesota Specialty Health System

The Minnesota Specialty Health System (MSHS) provides time-limited mental health treatment services in residential settings to adults who no longer require hospitalization or other inpatient treatment but who still need a period of structured care before returning home. Learn more.
Child and adolescent services

The Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Services

Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Services in Willmar, MN, is an inpatient psychiatric hospital for children ages 4 to 18. The hospital serves youth with complex mental illnesses and behavior disorders who cannot be treated in their home communities. Learn more.

Minnesota Intensive Therapeutic Homes

The MITH program provide a unique alternative to institutional placement for children and adolescents with severe emotional disturbance and serious acting-out behaviors. Services are provided in a family foster care setting.Learn more.
Chemical dependency treatment services
Special-care dental clinics
Community, residential and vocational services for individuals with developmental disabilities and/or mental illness
Community Support Services provides individualized clinical consultation and technical assistance. Nine mobile teams across the state strengthen the community living of people with clinically complex challenges.

The Minnesota Life Bridge Program supports adults who have developmental disabilities and exhibit severe behaviors that present a risk to public safety. Minnesota Life Bridge Program provides short-term treatment in residential settings. Individuals served by the program often have co-occurring mental health or chemical dependency diagnoses.

Minnesota State Operated Community Services (MSOCS) provides residential and vocational support services for people with disabilities. Vocational services include evaluation, training and supported employment. Clients are integrated into the daily flow of the community. A state-of-the-art and highly specialized program called FACES (Friends and Community Experiencing Success) is used to plan individual support services that include community-based residential services typically provided in four-bed group homes.

Vocational programs locations around the state provide a wide range of individualized vocational training and support, including:
- Job placement
- Supported employment
- Mobile work crews
- Competitive employment
- Volunteer opportunities
- Self advocacy training
- Community inclusion
- Life skills training.
Forensic services

Forensic Services provides evaluation and specialized treatment services statewide to individuals in the legal system due to a crime through its Forensic Network, treatment programs and support services.

The programs serve people committed as mentally ill and dangerous or other commitment types who present a public safety risk. Forensic Services also serves people with mental illness who the court has ordered for evaluation and treatment before the start of a criminal trial.