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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Consumer Involement - Keep the fires burning: Mental Health & HIV consumer-led Technical Assistance to community-based organizations (CBO) Advisory Boards

Chamberlain Diala, PhD, Behavioral Health, Abt Associate Inc., 4550 Montgomery Avenue, Suite 800, Bethesda, MD 20814, 301-634-1702, Chamberlain_Diala@abtassoc.com and Peter Byrd, Consultant, 6266 Dorsett Shoals Road #206, Douglasville, GA 30135.

The Mental Health HIV Services Collaborative (MHHSC) demonstration project, funded by the Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administrations (CMHS/SAMHSA) has three main goals; build community-based organizations (CBO) capacity, enhance consumer involvement and assure cultural competence in mental health service delivery for HIV+ persons in underserved communities. Abt Associates Inc. is the Coordinating Center to twenty CBOs providing services in Latino and African-American communities. This session describes the leadership exhibited by MHHSC consumers in keeping the fires burning and the impact of this contribution on CBO-specific consumer advisory boards (CAB).

From the onset, CAB development status for the 20 MHHSC participating sites spanned the spectrum. Ten Consumer Network Committees (CNC) members served as national leaders and mentors to CBO CABs. The CNC was instrumental in developing Mission/Vision statements, CAB guidelines and bylaws that guided election processes, leadership development, and community advocacy.

CNC addressed CAB issues through multiple approaches including a national conference, surveys of CAB leaders, regional trainings and technical assistance to increase consumers' leadership skills, develop CAB bylaws, and facilitate in-state and regional cross-site CAB collaboration. After a national training, newly empowered CAB members discovered talents that gave voice to their demands for service improvements. Site CAB members have subsequently presented at national conferences and were selected for national leadership trainings.

Lessons learned indicate that stable CABs require program support to guide CAB progress and maintain CAB members' motivation. Peer mentorship among consumers is beneficial but requires administrator facilitation.

Learning Objectives:

  • Learning objectives