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Principal Investigator: Enola Proctor
Pilot Study PI: Gregory
A. Aarons: Organizational Receptivity to Evidence Based
Practice
Funding: NIMH P30MH068579
The Center for Research to Improve Mental Health Care in the
Social Services (C-RIMSS) addresses quality of mental health
care in settings with the highest potential to reduce racial
and ethnic disparities. Studies will be conducted in social
service agencies, where prevalence of mental disorder is high
and vulnerable of clients predominate. A cultural exchange
perspective informs our work at the mental health-social service
intersect, and across the academic-practice divide. Through
the work of seven units, our Operations Core will provide
an infrastructure for research, methodological advances, and
partnerships with community agencies. The Principal Research
Core will support pilot studies to address three aims: (1)
understand quality of care for mental disorder in the social
services from stakeholder perspective; (2) assess practice
variation in quality of care for mental disorder and identify
provider, client, and system ecostructure and economic influences
on that variation; and (3) working "trench to bench and
back to trench," test a menu of quality improvements
for mental health care in the social services. The Research
Methods Core's two units--Qualitative Methods and Statistical
Analysis -- will provide ongoing, state of the art support
to investigators. The RMC will support projects and provide
consultation for stakeholder preference assessment, quality
indicators, and organizational research methods. Our outcomes
will include completed pilot projects, generation of RO 1,
R21, or R34 studies, scientific publications, strengthened
agency partnerships and infrastructure for research, and dissemination
of findings to academic and stakeholder networks. Improving
mental health care to social service clients can increase
treatment to persons whose disorder currently goes undetected,
improve the quality of evidence-based care to those who are
now served poorly, and reduce racial/ethnic disparities in
care. Our research agenda is responsive to the recommendation
of the President's New Freedom Commission Report on Mental
Health to improve the response to mental disorder in readily
accessible and low-stigma settings where a high level of risk
for mental health problems exists, especially all federally-funded
health and human services.
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2007
CASRC