Community mental health metrics: Assessing patient flow between services for adults with serious mental illness in the Saint Paul, MN area

The East Metro Mental Health Roundtable is a collaboration of law enforcement, social service agencies, health systems, hospitals, and others who address mental healthcare in the East Metro of Minnesota. Wilder Research was charged with quantifying the effects of the Roundtable's efforts to reduce barriers to patient flow between hospitals and community services, better match available resources to needs, and reduce gaps in the continuum of care for adults with serious mental illness. Key community metrics were identified to track annual progress. In addition to continuing to monitor trends associated with the original key community metrics, this project was expanded to include additional metrics of interest, conduct several special projects designed to further inform service delivery gaps and flow, and disseminate the findings to a large audience of engaged stakeholders. An advisory committee of key leaders in the mental health community, along with research staff, expanded the project to include a more intensive, qualitative assessment of the barriers for patients exiting inpatient hospitalization to less restrictive outpatient settings. The results of this more intensive assessment may result in expanded capacity for less restrictive outpatient settings, in addition to development of a common framework for determining optimal settings for patients as they transition from inpatient care. This presentation will highlight findings from the ongoing work of the community metrics, and share opportunities for improving access, availability, and appropriateness of various mental health services for adults with serious mental illness in the Saint Paul, MN area.