270344 Evaluating outcomes for California's historic statewide prevention and early intervention initiatives

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Nicole Eberhart, PhD , Health, RAND, Santa Monica, CA
This session examines the planning, implementation, and initial outcomes from the evaluation component of California's historic statewide efforts to reduce suicide, improve student mental health, and reduce stigma and discrimination for mental health consumers. In 2004 California voters approved the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) to fund strategies to build a mental health system of prevention, wellness and recovery, and equity for California's diverse populations. One of the efforts funded by the MHSA is a comprehensive statewide prevention initiative to reduce suicide, improve student mental health and reduce stigma and discrimination for mental health consumers. This effort was designed to include a robust independent and systemic evaluation. Determining the effectiveness of various strategies is a critical tool needed to identify which strategies to sustain, at what levels, and if and where there should be adaptations for improved outcomes. The evaluation, conducted by RAND Corporation, will work with counties and contractors to establish baseline data, conduct thorough program evaluations, and promote continuous quality improvement. RAND will present their comprehensive draft evaluation plan that will be an integrative design across the three initiatives as well as establish a broad public health evaluation framework that can be used for longer-term monitoring of prevention and early intervention strategies. Short term outcomes to be measured include knowledge, attitudes, normative behavior, mental and emotional well-being, and help-seeking behaviors. Key long term outcomes to be evaluated will include incidences of suicide, discrimination, social isolation, and school drop-out rates.

Learning Areas:
Assessment of individual and community needs for health education
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Describe the purpose of the evaluation of the suicide prevention, student mental health, and stigma and discrimination reduction statewide initiatives Describe the steps taken by RAND Corporation to establish baseline data Describe the initial outcomes of RAND Corporation’s evaluation of the statewide initiatives

Keywords: Evaluation, Public Mental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am an associate behavioral scientist at RAND Corporation and Project Director for the RAND evaluation of the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA)Prevention and Early Intervention initiatives.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.