PROGRAM FOR MH SERVICES WITH HEALTH CARE REFORM

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The National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) Research Institute (RI), in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins University-University of Maryland Center on the Organization and Financing of Care for Severely Mentally Ill proposes to build a research infrastructure program focusing on mental health care under health care reform (HCR) as it occurs at state and national levels. The aim is consistent with three major NIMH initiatives: Public Academic Liaison (PAL); mental health services research as reflected in "Caring for People with Severe Mental Disorders: A National Plan to Improve Services"; and Research Infrastructure Support Program (RISP). The goal of this program is to evolve the RI into a national mental health services research enterprise that contributes to scientific knowledge through staff development and investigator-initiated broad-based, multistate research. The RI is uniquely positioned to emerge from the RISP as a major national mental health services research center by virtue of its existing working relationship with the public mental health services sector through the state mental health agencies (SMHAs) and with SMHA and academic researchers. The RI has the demonstrated capacity to: (1) identify priority mental health services issues requiring study; (2) develop comprehensive national data bases by accessing state information systems and data bases; (3) analyze state and national data to provide information needed by state and federal agencies for planning and assessing mental health services; (4) assist SMHAs in the development of research capacities through training, workshops, and conferences; (5) disseminate research findings to SMHAs to facilitate states' decision making concerning the treatment of persons with mental disorders; and, to a limited degree, (6) conduct independent and collaborative mental health services research studies. Focusing on state level HCR, as well as federal HCR it is the intent of the RI to strengthen its research capacity by: (1) adding a senior research director; (2) adding resident investigators with research skills in statistical methods, data analysis, public finance, and outcome assessment; (3) developing increased links among senior collaborating investigators; (4) solidifying an infrastructure of senior members of the RI's circle of investigators in academia; and (5) developing further the linkage of senior researchers in SMHA's.