Partnering across the nation to improve America's mental health

Recognizing the need to translate scientific findings from the bench into the community, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) developed a nationwide initiative to engage state and community groups in a collaborative effort to address this pressing issue for the mental health and substance abuse field. This initiative, the Outreach Partnership Program is led by NIMH, receives support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and cooperates with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The Program strives to strengthen the public health impact of research through disseminating the latest scientific findings; informing the public about mental disorders, alcoholism, and drug addiction; reducing the associated stigma and discrimination; and providing a mechanism for NIMH to hear directly from communities about public health needs for research.

The Program supports 55 Outreach Partner organizations from each state and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each Outreach Partner conducts mental health outreach and education activities to deliver science-based messages to the public, health professionals, and traditionally underserved populations. Partners are also engaged in activities to increase opportunities for volunteer participation in NIMH and NIH sponsored clinical studies.

This presentation will provide a brief description of the program, including examples of Partner education and outreach activities. The presentation will also address challenges and opportunities for 1) developing and implementing Federal-community partnerships; 2) translating research for application in communities; and 3) engaging community groups in the research process at the Federal, state, and local level.