278365
Cost and service use implications of a peer-run respite program
Background: Designed to serve as alternatives to traditional acute and inpatient psychiatric emergency services, peer-run respites are hypothesized to lower system costs through reductions in inpatient and emergency care. The peer-run respite in this study offers short-term 24-hour residential support for publicly funded mental health service users experiencing self-defined crises. The program is staffed entirely by individuals with lived experience of mental health issues trained in Intentional Peer Support, a trauma-informed service delivery paradigm emphasizing mutuality, reciprocity, and growth. Methods: 74 individuals used the peer-run respite between May 2011 and June 2012. Evaluators examined service use and cost data for respite users and a comparison group constructed using propensity-score matching. These groups were compared using multivariate regression techniques to take into account individual characteristics such as age, gender, ethnicity, diagnosis, and service packages. Results: Preliminary analyses found total service costs were significantly lower for respite users compared with non-users. Costs associated with emergency and inpatient services only were even lower for the respite group relative to the non-respite group, with respite guests using significantly fewer inpatient and emergency hours and costing the system significantly less in emergency and inpatient dollars compared with non-respite users. Policy Implications: Findings suggest the peer-run respite model is an effective alternative to traditional crisis services. Expanding the availability of the peer-run respite model in community mental health systems could lead to reductions in overall service costs, particularly through the decreases in the use of costly inpatient and emergency services.
Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Social and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Define the peer-run respite model
Describe the cost and service use outcomes for participants in one peer-run respite program
Discuss policy implications of the study findings, including the expansion and replication of the peer-run respite model
Keyword(s): Cost Issues, Self-sufficiency and Empowerment
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the project coordinator of the peer-run respite evaluation. I have over ten years experience in behavioral health service provision and quality management, and approximately four years of program evaluation experience, with a particular focus on peer-run mental health services and recovery-oriented systems of care. I hold a Master of Public Policy and am currently pursuing a PhD from the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.
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.
