rural mental health: assertive community treatment – overview, challenges & opportunities
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Rural Mental Health: Assertive Community Treatment – Overview, Challenges & Opportunities. WICHE Mental Health Program Debra Kupfer, Consultant. Presentation Overview. ACT Basics Small/Rural County Issues Adaptations to ACT Lessons Learned from Other States. Assertive Community Treatment. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Rural Mental Health:Assertive Community Treatment –Overview, Challenges & Opportunities
WICHE Mental Health ProgramDebra Kupfer, Consultant
Presentation Overview
ACT Basics Small/Rural County Issues Adaptations to ACT Lessons Learned from Other States
Assertive Community Treatment
Community-based program for adults with serious (& persistent) mental illness
Focus on independent living, employment and community tenure with assertive outreach
“Team” staff approach Designated as an EBP
ACT Guidelines
Small Caseload (Consumer/Provider ratio of 1:10)
Team Approach Frequent Program Meetings Practicing Team Leader (direct services) Full Staffing with Continuity Psychiatrist (1 FTE per 100 consumers)
ACT Guidelines - continued
Minimum of 2 Nurses per 100 Consumers Minimum of 2 SA Staff per 100 Consumers Minimum of 2 Voc. Staff per 100 Consumers Program Size: Sufficient to consistently
provide the necessary staffing diversity and coverage
More About Staffing…
Part-time Psychiatrist Team Leader (Masters level) Nurse(s) Social Workers, Psychologists (Masters level) Peer Staff Advocates Specialists: Vocational & Substance Abuse Paraprofessionals – community partners
ACT Treatment Responsibilities
Full Responsibility for Individualized Treatment Services – case management, psychiatric services, counseling, housing support, SA treatment, and employment/ rehabilitation services
In-vivo services Crisis Services ( 24/7) Hospital Admissions Hospital Discharge Planning – Continuity of Care Time Un-limited/Indefinite Services
Anticipated ACT Outcomes
Increased independent living – decreased homelessness
Improved employment status Decreased substance use Decreased hospitalization days Enhanced quality of life, increased socialization,
reduced symptom severity/distress Targeted programs may decrease incarceration
days Increased staff moral and retention
Challenge: Translating Research into Practice
What’s different in small/rural counties? Workforce & StaffingNumber of persons with S(P)MI – lack of
‘economy of scale’Geography & Travel (time/distance)Smaller Resource Pools
What Are Other Rural Folks Doing?
Identifying and implementing the core components of an EBP such as ACT in a
rural area can result in good clinical outcomes for rural consumers
NAMI: “It is a pitfall to think that rural ACT means fewer services, fewer components, or less fidelity to the model”
Adapting ACT for Rural Development Workforce & Staffing
Availability of specific clinicians Level of staffing necessary for small teams
24/7 coverage with small teams Shared staffing with other programs & agencies
Fully staffed team important, but difficult… refer consumers to other resources, such as employment & substance abuse specialists
You can implement an ACT Team with 5-6 program staff, a part-time psychiatrist and a full-time
administrative assistant (key to good communication)
SC
NAMI
Adapting ACT for Rural Development Number of persons with S(P)MI
Size of teams
Rural team may have 25 consumers enrolled at one time
Smaller teams are acceptable: 30-40 consumers – most have at least 30
NAMI
CO
Adapting ACT for Rural Development
Geography & Travel
Fewer numbers of contacts, however, the duration of contacts is longer
Rural teams need to meet daily, face-to-face, including weekends Increased reliance on natural supports for travel Opportunities for use of more technology instead of relying on face-to-face meetings
CO
NAMI
Adapting ACT for Rural Development Smaller Resource Pools
Lack of an economy of scale Benefits of collaborating and sharing resources
more visible Consumers better known to smaller communities
~ Opportunities to share resources~ Using ER services, versus ACT staffing 24/7~ Consider discharging consumers from ACT
SC
Consider a m
ulti-
community
mental health
center pro
gram
Adapting ACT for Rural Development
Critical Components of ACT – South Carolina Perspective Caseload size Team approach Communication Community-based services Assertive consumer engagement
SC plans to get funding to research “ACT-like” Programs: Through indicators such as housing, employment, hospital and emergency department use. They will also be using the ACT Fidelity Scale.
SC
Fidelity- Rural Considerations
What is absolute and what is not? What modifications impact program outcomes? Monitoring fidelity versus/and outcomes When is the program no longer ACT?
Only when outcomes are not achieved, is fidelity monitored
HI
ACT is an Investment
Opportunities – Lessons Learned Leadership is key to the successful
implementation of EBPs The role of supervisors is important Consumers & families are important partners Ongoing training & coaching support are
necessary Need to incorporate EBPs into information
systems & quality management
(The Need for an Evidence-Based Culture: Lessons Learned from Evidence-Based Practice Initiatives, Vijay Ganju, Ph.D., NRI-CMHQA, October 2006)
EBP Opportunities – Lessons Learned KS – Consumers involved in all stakeholder and skills training
activities KS – Wish they had involved consumers at various levels from
the start of the project NY – ACT training leader incorporated recovery concepts from
the beginning ACT Toolkits – not much information about working with families OH - IDDT: Organizational culture changes – used to ask, “Can
we contact your family?” and now ask, “ What family member should I contact?”
OH – Cross-fertilize with sites IN – Use state standards for contracting with agencies that
specify the use of fidelity measures CT – It has been extremely effective to have the CEO attend the
trainings (Implementing Evidence-Based Practices Project, National review of Effective
Implementation Strategies and Challenges NRI-CMHQA, April 2003)
CA DMH Mission Statement
The California Department of Mental Health, entrusted with leadership of the California mental health system, ensures through partnerships the availability and accessibility of effective, efficient, culturally competent services. This is accomplished by advocacy, education, innovation, outreach, understanding, oversight, monitoring, quality improvement, and the provision of direct services.
www.wiche.edu/mentalhealth