Respite Partnership Collaborative (RPC) Innovation Project Evaluation: Final Report

The Mental Health Services Act (MHSA)—funded by Proposition 63—supports five unique components: (1) Community Services and Supports, (2) Prevention and Early Intervention, (3) Workforce Education and Training, (4) Capital Facilities and Technology, and (5) Innovative Programs. In September 2010, the Sacramento County Division of Behavioral Health Services (DBHS) initiated a community planning process to develop Sacramento's first Innovation Project. DBHS convened an Innovation Workgroup that developed the Innovation Plan and the Respite Partnership Collaborative (RPC) Innovation Project.Through a competitive selection process, Sacramento County DBHS awarded Sierra Health Foundation: Center for Health Program Management (the Center) a contract to administer the RPC Innovation Project. The RPC Innovation Project is a public-private partnership of the Sacramento County DBHS and the Center. The Center uses MHSA Innovation funding to support the RPC, whose members are from the community at large. RPC members make recommendations for respite service grants to community organizations. The RPC's goal is to increase local mental health respite service options to offer alternatives to hospitalization for community members experiencing a crisis in Sacramento County.American Institutes for Research (AIR) conducted an evaluation of the RPC Innovation Project from April 2013 through March 2016. Evaluation objectives were to assess the extent to which the RPC Innovation Project achieved the following:1. Promoted successful collaboration between public and private organizations (i.e., DBHS and the Center) in Sacramento County2. Demonstrated a community-driven process3. Improved the quality and outcomes of respite services in Sacramento County This report presents findings from evaluation activities, which included stakeholder interviews, RPC member surveys, and document reviews.This report emphasizes data collected in the third year of the evaluation after June 2015. The report begins with a brief history of the RPC Innovation Project. Next we describe evaluation objectives and methods for conducting the evaluation. Finally, we present findings, organized by evaluation objective

Respite Partnership Collaborative (RPC) Innovation Project Evaluation: Report 2

The Mental Health Services Act (MHSA)—funded by Proposition 63—supports five unique components: (1) Community Services and Supports, (2) Prevention and Early Intervention, (3) Workforce Education and Training, (4) Capital Facilities and Technology, and (5) Innovative Programs. In September 2010, the Sacramento County Division of Behavioral Health Services (DBHS) initiated a community planning process to develop Sacramento's first Innovation Project. DBHS convened an Innovation Workgroup that developed the Innovation Plan and the Respite Partnership Collaborative (RPC) Innovation Project. American Institutes for Research (AIR) is conducting an evaluation of the RPC Innovation Project. Evaluation objectives are to assess the extent to which the RPC Innovation Project does the following:Promote successful collaboration between public and private organizations (i.e., DBHS and the Sierra Health Foundation: The Center for Health Program Management [the Center]) in Sacramento CountyDemonstrate a community-driven processImprove the quality and outcomes of respite services in Sacramento CountyTo address the evaluation objectives; the evaluation includes interviews, an RPC survey, a community survey, and a document review. This report presents findings from evaluation activities conducted from June 2014 to April 2015 to DBHS, RPC members, and the Center

Respite Partnership Collaborative (RPC) Innovation Project Evaluation: Report 1

The Mental Health Services Act (MHSA)—funded by Proposition 63—was enacted in California in November 2004. MHSA funding supports five unique components: (1) Community Services and Supports, (2) Prevention and Early Intervention, (3) Workforce Education and Training, (4) Capital Facilities and Technology, and (5) Innovative Programs. Innovative programs contribute to learning by testing new approaches to inform current and future practices.In September 2010, the Sacramento County Division of Behavioral Health Services (DBHS) initiated a community planning process to develop Sacramento County's first Innovation Project. Through community input, the Respite Partnership Collaborative (RPC) Innovation Project was created with the goal to create alternatives to hospitalization by increasing local mental health respite service options for community members experiencing a mental health crisis in Sacramento County. The project seeks to: (1) create learning opportunities on how the project is developed and administered, (2) integrate community feedback into program development and implementation, and (3) expedite the release of funds of respite services to community organizations. The RPC Innovation Project is administered by the Sierra Health Foundation: The Center for Health Program Management (the Center).As part of the Innovation Project, an evaluation contract was awarded to American Institutes for Research (AIR) to evaluate the 5-year RPC Innovation Project. The main evaluation objectives are to assess the extent to which the RPC Innovation Project does the following:Promotes successful collaboration between public and private entities (i.e., DBHS and the Center) in Sacramento County.Demonstrates a community-driven process. Improves the quality and outcomes of respite services in Sacramento County.The purpose of this annual report is to present early findings from evaluation activities conducted from June 2013 through June 2014. Evaluation methods employed include interviews, surveys, and document review

The Role of Origin and Destination Site in HIV Risk of Male Migrant Laborers in India

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a substantial challenge for India. In 2011, India ranked third globally in the number of people living with HIV. While progress has been made in reducing the occurrence of new cases, there has been concern over the emergence of micro-epidemics in rural areas. Surveillance data suggests these micro-epidemics are linked to migration, where migrants serve as a bridge between the high prevalence cities and their low prevalence hometowns. However, there appears to be a gap in the research literature when examining the rationale for why HIV is spreading beyond migrants and their partners. One reasonable theory is that the social norms in the source village significantly differ from that of the work destination. To explore this idea, a secondary quantitative analysis was conducted on data collected from 4,294 adult male migrant laborers from multiple sites across India. The Theory of Social Normative Behavior (TNSB) was used to disentangle to role of individual and group norms of the source and destination site on an individual's behavior. This study had three major findings. First, the objective prevalence of a behavior (collective norm) had more predictive value than the individual’s perceived estimate (descriptive norm). Second, collective norms are not moderators (contrary to TNSB), instead descriptive norms partially mediate the effect of collective norms on risk involvement. Third, the collective norm at the source village had the largest predictive value for risk involvement at both the source and destination sites

Patients and Providers Speak: Early Care Experiences Under the ACA

As of April 2014, more than 1.4 million Californians had selected a non-Medi-Cal health plan through Covered California, the state's health care marketplace. What was their experience of seeking and receiving care through plans made newly available under the ACA?This study provides early insight into the successes and challenges of the ACA from the perspectives of consumers as well as from providers in clinical organizations in California. It is based on focus groups with 74 consumers and interviews with 64 health care providers in four areas of the state. Because consumers surveyed were among those quickest to enroll and use services, they are not representative of all Covered California enrollees