We’re happy to announce that we’re officially adopting four evidence-based practice models endorsed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) including Assertive Community Treatment (ACT); Supported Employment; Permanent Supportive Housing; and Consumer-Operated Services. We’re adopting these evidence-based best practice models because they resonate with our core commitment to a system of care rooted in hope and an unwavering belief in recovery. Each of the links above offers additional detail for each model, including (a) building the program, (b) training program staff, and (c) evaluating fidelity to the program.
These four SAMHSA evidence-based practice models will be incorporated into our future Maricopa County RBHA contract… and formal monitoring of fidelity will begin in 2014. We still have a few years left on our contracts in the other regions, but we’ll be encouraging all of our RBHAs and providers that elect to offer the above services and to conduct self-assessments using the fidelity tools in order to establish baseline scores and to drive ongoing improvement in our system of care.
Our point people for the standards are: 1) Assertive Community Treatment: Don Erickson & Nitika Singh; 2) Supported Employment: Adam Robson; 3) Permanent Supportive Housing: Adam Robson; and 4) Consumer-Operated Services: Kathy Bashor & ChazLongwell.
There seems to be a lot of funds going to consumer operated services which I find rather odd because the problem with AZ behavioral health system has historically been trying to get services for people who are floridly psychotic and in severe crisis. While the current sentiment from DBHS and the attorney for the SMI in AZ is that we rely on our involuntary treatment law too much, families of the most seriously ill would vehemently disagree. There is also an attitude among DBHS that Jared Loughner is not the face of mental illness, an attitude that comes straight from the consumers that are getting so much funding. Where are the sickest people who are unable to recover supposed to receive care as AZ’s behavioral health care system becomes more and more oriented towards caring primarily for those that require the least help? Funding going towards consumer services which require the person to be well before they can even utilize those services leaves out the people who need the services the most. There is the same issue within residential treatment where people who are too sick to know how to “behave” get kicked out. Permanent supported housing has the same issues. What happens to people when they are not well to understand they need treatment and they have no obligation to remain in treatment? Lastly, what’s being done to curtail the notion that medication is not needed? It may not be needed by some people, but for those that do need it, getting the message from a peer that medicine is bad is very dangerous for that very sick person who’s sanity depends on them taking their medication.
I also have one more question. There are many peer operated organizations. Yet, the language is peer and family support. Are there any plans for a family operated organization for families of those that have the sickest consumers so our voices can be heard within the system as well?
Thank you.
Mom of Adult SMI,
There are several family-operated organizations providing behavioral health services in Arizona. A list of those we have on file can be found here or in the file attached. However, regardless of the availability of such organizations or whether you are affiliated or receiving services through any of them, it is our hope in the Division of Behavioral Health that you always feel comfortable reaching us. We want to hear from you! You can always send us feedback, comments, suggestions, concerns, questions…through our online form available here.