This is an exploratory descriptive study based on a qualitative approach which purpose was to understand how health service coordinators involved in providing care to individuals in psychological distress perceive the organization of the mental health care network in Santa Maria, state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and vignettes in the months of April and May 2008. Ten health service coordinators participated in the study. The data were processed through thematic analyses and, subsequently, grouped into three clusters of meaning: The understanding of care flows, network operation, and of the difficulties and potential envisioned. The results showed a network under construction, highlighting the existence of movements aimed at improving coordination between the services and the resulting quality of care provided to the users of the mental health care network. The authors propose a reinforcement of the relations between the services, heightening the relationship between primary care, substitutive services, and hospital care. Emphasis is put on the role played by management in the process, considering the need for the involvement of different sectors in order to attain a more qualified mental health care service.
health care; mental health; access to health services