WHEN A RESEARCH AND EVALUATION DEPARTMENT WAS ESTABLISHED BY THE RIVER REGIONAL MENTAL HEALTH-MENTAL RETARDATION BOARD IN 1972, AN ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNITY NEEDS AND RESOURCES WAS INCORPORATED INTO THE BASIC EVALUATION PLAN. THE PURPOSE OF THE PROJECT INVOLVING COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT WAS TO PROVIDE RELEVANT INFORMATION FOR PROGRAM PLANNING AND EVALUATION TO ADMINISTRATORS, STAFF INVOLVED IN PREVENTION EFFORTS, AND CLINICAL STAFF. RESEARCH AND EVALUATION STAFF BEGAN THE PROJECT BY OFFERING RELEVANT CENSUS DATA TO PREVENTION TEAMS ON A REQUEST BASIS. AS THE DEMAND FOR INFORMATION INCREASED, A STANDARDIZED FORMAT WAS DEVISED FOR PRESENTING RELEVANT CENSUS DATA. THIS COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT PROFILE WAS CONSTRUCTED TO YIELD INFORMATION IN THE FOLLOWING AREAS: GENERAL POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS, FAMILY-NONFAMILY CHARACTERISTICS, SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS, ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS, AND HOUSING CHARACTERISTICS. A PILOT PROJECT WAS INITIATED TO DETERMINE THE USEFULNESS OF CLIENT DATA IN PROGRAM PLANNING AND EVALUATION AND TO EXPERIMENT WITH DATA DISPLAYS BEST SUITED TO THESE FUNCTIONS. IN ADDITION TO CENSUS AND CLIENT STATISTICS, INFORMATION FROM OTHER AGENCIES AND COMMUNITY INSTITUTIONS PROVED TO BE A VALUABLE SOURCE OF ASSESSMENT DATA. TYPES OF DATA COLLECTED AND DISSEMINATED INCLUDE POLICE STATISTICS, PROFILES OF AND REASONS FOR REFERRAL OF JUVENILE OFFENDERS AND DEPENDENT CHILDREN, BIRTHS AND DEATHS, NEW APARTMENTS AND HOMES, AND ZONING CHANGES BY PLANNING DISTRICT. COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT DATA ARE USED FOR ADMINISTRATION, PREVENTION (OUTREACH, CONSULTATION, AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION), TREATMENT, AND RESEARCH. A DESCRIPTION OF THE REGION SERVED BY THE COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM IS PROVIDED, ALONG WITH AN OUTLINE OF THE COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT PROFILE. NOTES ARE INCLUDED. (DEP)