Charlotte Mehuron
Director, Office of consumer, Family and Public Information
Center for Mental Health Services

writes:

To enhance our communication with consumers and the public,
we are establishing the National CMHS Clearinghouse
(NCMHSC), which will be accessible at 800 789 CMHS (2647)
after December 1, 1994.  In addition to the toll-free line,
inquires can be made through several other media, including
TDD, mail, fax, e-mail and, eventually Internet.

The NCMHSC will also provide a CMHS Electronic Bulletin
Board service.  The CMHS Bulletin Board, available at 800-
790-CMHS (2647), a unique subset of the larger PIE OnLine
information exchange system, will be accessible to
consumers, families and the public directly or through Fed
World, and potentially through Internet.  It will provide
information on conferences, meetings, grant announcements
and other information that may answer questions currently
posed through correspondence, e-mail and telephone calls.

Sylvia adds:

Note that this excludes people using modems from phone
systems that only allow local calls.  Local-only phone
systems do not allow 800 number calls, even though they are
free.  For instance, this call might not be able to be made
from a patient phone in a hospital.  This call might not be
able to be made from a restricted phone in a day treatment
center or clubhouse.  Some restricted phone systems
automatically disallow the "1 plus area code" set of
numbers.  It seems to be that families and the public were
considered above consumers in the choice of a bulletin board
without immediate included Internet access.