A new project aims to keep the mentally ill out of jail and in treatment. Project Link, a program created by community groups and the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York, targets patients who often go from jail to hospital to the streets with no successful treatment. "Jails and prisons have become the final destination for the mentally ill in America; it's the most pressing issue facing psychiatry today," said psychiatrist Dr. J. Steven Lamberti, director of Project Link. "The Los Angeles County Jail has become the nation's largest mental institution. It holds more people suffering from severe mental illness than any hospital in the country. The problem has received a lot of attention, but there have been few proposed solutions. We've found one promising approach." Project Link combines a culturally diverse staff, close cooperation with the criminal justice system, a mobile treatment team and a residence for patients with mental illness and addiction. "This program is a prime example of an innovative and much-needed service for persons with serious mental illness involved with the criminal justice system," said James Stone, New York State commissioner of mental health. "Project Link has achieved significant reductions in jail and hospital lengths of stay and is making a significant contribution both to the individual clients and to the local mental health community." (ShagMail Health Tips)