The Adult Mental Health Division of the Hawaii Department of Health on Thursday announced plans to implement a community mental health plan after reviewing a "scathing" report released by U.S. Magistrate Kevin Chang, the Honolulu Advertiser reports. In the report, Chang said the state is far behind in its efforts to provide a federally mandated standard of care for 9,000 mentally ill state residents (Kobayashi, Honolulu Advertiser, 7/22). Chang on Wednesday filed his 10th report with the federal court on the case, which began with a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Department of Justice against the state in 1991 over allegedly unconstitutional conditions in the state's mental health system (Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7/21). Under its reform plan, the state has said it will provide mentally ill patients with individualized treatment and, depending on their needs, housing and services such as vocational training. However, Chang in his report said that a court-appointed evaluation team found weaknesses in "critical areas," including efforts to develop an internal decision-making structure for the community mental-health system, implement a consistent policy of treatment planning and develop a system for evaluating the needs of Hawaii State Hospital patients (Honolulu Advertiser, 7/22). In July, the hospital had 178 patients in a facility designed for 168 patients (Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7/21). In response to the report, officials at the department of health "affirmed their commitment" to implementing a community mental health plan and said the state will work with providers and patients to ensure the plan is carried out. "It is clear that much work remains to be done," officials said, adding that the health department "is committed to using our maximum possible efforts toward successful and timely completion of the community plan" (Honolulu Advertiser, 7/22).