Project LAUNCH: Developing a cross-site evaluation

Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children's Health) is a SAMHSA-funded initiative that began in 2008 to improve the health and well-being of children 0 - 8 years old through the implementation or enhancement of evidence-based practices that are focused in five areas (developmental screenings; mental health consultations; integration of mental health into primary care; parent support and training; and home visitation). The cross-site evaluation of Project LAUNCH provides information about overall implementation strategies and outcomes of the initiative on the State, Tribal, and community-level health and social service systems, as well as children and families in specific communities. Using an initiative-level framework to document system and program level outcomes across sites, the cross-site evaluation will be able to estimate the overall effect of population-based and targeted health promotion and prevention programs.

Working collaboratively with stakeholders and the input of an expert panel, the cross-site evaluation team developed a set of indicators, outcomes, and measures to assess grantees' performance for quality improvement at the State, Tribal, and local community levels. Primary data for the cross-site evaluation includes the collection of semi-annual service level data and annual system-level data via site visits. The process for designing the cross-site evaluation will be described including the initiative-level logic model to illustrate how the State, Tribal, and community service system changes are expected to result in improved service utilization over time and ultimately improvements in participant outcomes over the life of the cross-site evaluation.