Lessons From Maslow: Prioritizing Funding to Improve the Quality of Community Mental Health and Substance Use Services

Why do Stayers Stay? Perceptions of White and Black Long-Term Employees in a Community Mental Health Center

Previous research has focused on factors influencing turnover of employees in the mental health workforce, yet little research has explored reasons why employees stay. To facilitate retaining a diverse mental health workforce, the current study aimed to elucidate factors that contributed to employees' tenure at a community mental health center (CHMC) as well as compare these perceptions between Black and White employees. Long-term employees (7 years or more) from one urban CMHC (n = 22) completed semi-structured stayer interviews. Using emergent thematic analysis, stayer interviews revealed four major themes for why they have stayed at the organization for 7 years or more: (1) work as a calling, (2) supportive relationships, (3) opportunities for growth or meaningful contribution, and (4) organization mission's alignment with personal attributes or values. Comparison between Black and White stayer narratives revealed differences in their perceptions with work as a calling and opportunities for growth and meaningful contribution. Guided by themes derived from stayer interviews, the current study discusses theoretical (e.g., job embeddedness theory, theory of racialized organizations, self-determination theory) and practical implications (e.g., supporting job autonomy, Black voices in leadership) in an effort to improve employee retention and address structural racism within a mental health organization.

Utility of the Leadership and Organizational Change for Implementation-Systems Level (LOCI-SL) strategy for a statewide substance use treatment implementation effort

INTRODUCTION

Multi-level and cross-context implementation strategies are needed to support health systems, healthcare delivery organizations, and providers to adopt evidence-based practice (EBP) for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. However, misalignment between state oversight agencies and healthcare organizations about which services to prioritize and which outcomes are reasonable to expect can hinder implementation success and widespread access to high-quality care. This study investigated the utility of the Leadership and Organizational Change for Implementation-System Level (LOCI-SL) strategy for supporting statewide EBP implementation for SUD treatment.

METHODS

Nine community mental health centers (CMHCs) contracted by a state agency participated in a combined motivational-enhancement therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy (MET/CBT) implementation effort. Five of the CMHCs also received the LOCI-SL strategy to obtain ongoing implementation support. We conducted 21 individual interviews and three small group interviews with 30 participants across CMHCs and state health agencies to investigate the utility of LOCI-SL in supporting their EBP implementation efforts. Deductive thematic analysis was guided by the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment Framework.

RESULTS

Five themes described CMHCs' LOCI-SL and broader contextual experiences implementing EBPs: (1) LOCI-SL supported executives in Preparation phase activities that holistically considered organizational needs and capacity to implement and sustain EBPs; (2) LOCI-SL facilitated trust and communication processes across Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment phases to improve EBP uptake; (3) LOCI-SL increased CMHCs' use of implementation climate strengthening activities throughout the Implementation phase; (4) state contracts did not emphasize quality and thus were not sufficient bridging factors to enforce EBP fidelity during Implementation; and, (5) limited funding and low Medicaid reimbursement rates hindered EBP use throughout the Implementation and Sustainment phases.

CONCLUSIONS

LOCI-SL was viewed as a favorable and useful implementation strategy for supporting statewide adoption of EBPs. However, outer context barriers, including limited financial investments in the treatment system, impeded implementation and sustainment efforts. While previous research suggests that contracts are viable alignment-promoting bridging factors, this study demonstrates the importance of articulating implementation outcome expectations to aid state-contracted organizations in achieving EBP implementation success. This study also highlights the need for multi-level implementation strategies to effectively align implementation expectations between outer- and inner-context entities.

Substance use stigma: A systematic review of measures and their psychometric properties

Background

Instruments to measure substance use stigma are emerging, however little is known regarding their psychometric properties. While research has evolved to view substance use stigma as a context sensitive international phenomenon that is embedded within cultures, validated self-report measures are lacking and comprehensive reviews of the existing measures are extremely limited. In this systematic review of substance use stigma and shame measures, we aim to contextualize results from existing research, lay the groundwork for future measurement development research, and provide a thorough resource for research scientists currently designing studies to measure substance use stigma.

Methods

We searched three databases using Boolean search terms for psychometric evaluations of measures of substance use stigma and shame and evaluated the quality/psychometric properties using an adaptation of the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) systematic review guidelines.

Results

We identified 18 measures of substance use stigma. Overall, most measures had minimal psychometric assessments and none of the measures met all domains of the COSMIN measure quality criteria. However, most studies reported satisfactory factor analyses and internal consistency scores.

Conclusions

Most measures of substance use stigma and shame had psychometric assessment across a limited range of criteria and no measures of structural substance use stigma were found. The most reported psychometric properties were structural validity and convergent validity. We suggest future researchers investigate test-retest reliability and cross-cultural validity for existing substance use stigma measures, as well as develop and evaluate novel measures assessing structural stigma of substance use.

Assessing Access to Trauma-Informed Outpatient Mental Health Services for Adolescents: A Mystery Shopper Study

OBJECTIVE

The authors aimed to examine how access to trauma-informed mental health services in safety-net health centers varies by insurance type and race-ethnicity of the care seeker.

METHODS

In this mystery shopper study, three women (White, Latina, and Black voice actresses) called community mental health centers (CMHCs) and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) (N=229) in Cook County, Illinois, posing as mothers requesting a mental health appointment for their traumatized adolescent child. Each health center was called twice-once in the spring and once in the summer of 2021-with alternating insurance types reported (Medicaid or private insurance). Ability to schedule an appointment, barriers to access, wait times, and availability of trauma-specific treatment were assessed.

RESULTS

Callers could schedule an appointment in only 17% (N=78 of 451) of contacts. Reasons for appointment denial varied by organization type: the primary reasons for denial were capacity constraints (67%) at CMHCs and administrative requirements to switch to in-network primary care providers (62%) at FQHCs. Insurance and organization type did not predict successful appointment scheduling. Non-White callers were significantly less likely (incidence rate ratio=1.18) to be offered an appointment than the White caller (p=0.019). The average wait time was 12 days; CMHCs had significantly shorter wait times than FQHCs (p=0.019). Only 38% of schedulers reported that their health center offered trauma-informed therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

Fewer than one in five contacts resulted in a mental health appointment, and an apparent bias against non-White callers raises concern that racial discrimination may occur during scheduling. For equitable access to care, antidiscrimination policies should be implemented.

Evaluating the implementation of a community health worker-delivered intervention integrating asthma care in West Philadelphia public schools

OBJECTIVE

Schools are an important setting because students spend much of their time in school and engage in physical activity during the school day that could exacerbate asthma symptoms. Our objective is to understand the barriers and facilitators to implementing an experimental community health worker-delivered care coordination program for students with asthma within the context of the West Philadelphia Controls Asthma study.

METHODS

Surveys (n = 256) and semi-structured interviews (n = 41) were completed with principals, teachers, nurses, and community health workers from 21 public and charter schools in West Philadelphia between January 2019 and September 2021. Survey participants completed the Evidence Based Practice Attitudes Scale, the Implementation Leadership Scale, and Organizational Climate Index. Semi-structured qualitative interview guides were developed, informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.

RESULTS

Participant responses indicate that they perceived benefits for schools and students related to the community health worker-based care coordination program. Several barriers and facilitators to implementing the program were noted, including challenges associated with incorporating the program into school nurse workflow, environmental triggers in the school environment, and challenges communicating with family members. An important facilitator that was identified was having supportive school administrators and staff who were engaged and saw the benefits of the program.

CONCLUSIONS

This work can inform implementation planning for other locales interested in implementing community-based pediatric asthma control programs delivered by community health workers in schools.

Effective, but underused: lessons learned implementing contingency management in real-world practice settings in the United States

Despite being one of the most effective adjunctive behavioral interventions in combination with medication for opioid use disorder, contingency management (CM) is one of the least available interventions in opioid treatment programs. This paradoxical state of affairs is perhaps the greatest example of the research-to-practice gap in the behavioral health field. Implementation science, a discipline that aims to identify replicable methods that can be used across settings and populations to bridge the gap between research and practice, can potentially help. Based on our team's experience implementing CM in opioid treatment programs, we detail five key lessons for researchers, clinicians, policy makers, and others seeking to implement and sustain CM in real-world settings. First, multiple barriers to CM implementation exist at both the counselor- and organization-levels, requiring multi-level solutions. Second, one-shot CM training alone is not sufficient for successful implementation: ongoing support is essential to achieve levels of intervention fidelity that will benefit patients. Third, assessing an organization's capacity for implementation prior to support provision can prevent costly mistakes. Fourth, implementors should plan for high staff turnover rates and expect the unexpected by developing detailed contingency plans. Finally, implementors should remember that the goal is to implement evidence-based CM and not simply incentives. We encourage colleagues to consider these lessons to increase the likelihood that CM can be implemented and sustained in a manner that improves the quality of care in opioid treatment programs.

Challenges to Providing Integrated HIV Prevention in Substance Use Treatment Settings: Frontline Staff Perspectives on HIV and Sex-Related, Education, Communication and Stigma

INTRODUCTION

Substance use treatment settings can play a critical role in ending the HIV epidemic. Community-based methadone clinics are potentially useful sites to offer biomedical HIV prevention, but little is known about how clinicians and other clinic staff communicate with patients about sexual behavior and HIV-related topics.

METHODS

Thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted at two methadone clinics in Northern New Jersey. Participants included medical providers (physicians, RNs, DNPs), methadone counselors, intake coordinators, lab technicians, and other auxiliary staff members. Results: Three major themes were identified: (1) HIV education is primarily provided by external organizations, (2) there is limited staff-patient communication around HIV and sexual behaviors, and (3) HIV stigma is prevalent among staff and patients.

CONCLUSION

To implement PrEP in methadone treatment settings, clinic staff must be able to engage in non-judgmental communication about HIV and sex with patients. Additionally, federal and state funding for HIV prevention in substance use treatment settings must be prioritized to enable clinics to access the necessary training and resources.

Power Redistribution and Upending White Supremacy in Implementation Research and Practice in Community Mental Health

This Open Forum explores how implementation research and practice may sustain White supremacist ideas, perpetuate unequal power dynamics, and maintain mental health care inequities. The following questions were considered: What information is valued and considered evidence? and How do power differentials within implementation research and practice manifest? The implementation of evidence-based interventions within community mental health clinics is used as an example to explore these questions. Recommendations are provided to envision a future that centers collaboratively developed and community-led approaches to foster equity in mental health care.

Perspectives on Financing Strategies for Evidence-Based Treatment Implementation in Youth Mental Health Systems

BACKGROUND

Evidence-based treatments (EBTs) are critical to effectively address mental health problems among children and adolescents, but costly for mental health service agencies to implement and sustain. Financing strategies help agencies overcome cost-related barriers by obtaining financial resources to support EBT implementation and/or sustainment.

AIMS

We sought to (i) understand how youth mental health system decision-makers involved with EBT implementation and sustainment view key features (e.g., relevance, feasibility) that inform financing strategy selection and (ii) compare service agency, funding agency, and intermediary representative perspectives.

METHOD

Two surveys were disseminated to 48 representatives across U.S. youth mental health service agencies, funding agencies, and intermediaries who were participating in a larger study of financing strategies. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered on 23 financing strategies through quantitative ratings and open-ended responses. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and rapid content analysis.

RESULTS

The financing strategies rated as most relevant include braided funding streams, contracts for EBTs, credentialing/rostering providers, fee-for-service reimbursement (regular and increased), and grant funding. All other strategies were unfamiliar to 1/3 to 1/2 of participants. The six strategies were rated between somewhat and quite available, feasible, and effective for EBT sustainment. For sustaining different EBT components (e.g., delivery, materials), the mix of financing strategies was rated as somewhat adequate. Qualitative analysis revealed challenges with strategies being non-recurring or unavailable in representatives' regions. Ratings were largely similar across participant roles, though funding agency representatives were the most familiar with financing strategies.

DISCUSSION

Despite the breadth of innovative financing strategies, expert representatives within the youth mental health services ecosystem had limited knowledge of most options. Experts relied on strategies that were familiar but often did not adequately support EBT implementation or sustainment. These findings underscore more fundamental issues with under-resourced mental health systems in the U.S.; financing strategies can help agencies navigate EBT use but must be accompanied by larger-scale system reforms. Limitations include difficulties generalizing results due to using a small sample familiar with EBTs, high agreement as a potential function of snowball recruiting, and limited responses to the open-ended survey questions.

IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH CARE PROVISION AND USE

Although EBTs have been found to effectively address mental health problems in children and adolescents, available strategies for financing their implementation and sustainment in mental health systems are insufficient. This constraint prevents many children and adolescents from receiving high-quality services.

IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH POLICIES

Financing strategies alone cannot solve systematic issues that prevent youth mental health service agencies from providing EBTs. Policy changes may be required, such as increased financial investment from the U.S. government into mental health services to support basic infrastructure (e.g., facility operations, measuring outcomes).

IMPLICATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

Future work should examine expert perspectives on EBT financing strategies in different contexts (e.g., substance use services), gathering targeted feedback on financing strategies that are less well known, and exploring topics such as strategic planning, funding stability, and collaborative decision-making as they relate to EBT implementation and sustainment.

Community mental health funding, stakeholder engagement and outcomes: a realist synthesis

Mental health services continues to be a high priority for healthcare and social service systems. Funding structures within community mental health settings have shown to impact service providers' behaviour and practices. Additionally, stakeholder engagement is suggested as an important mechanism to achieving the intended goals. However, the literature on community mental health funding reform and associated outcomes is inconsistent and there are no consistent best practices for stakeholder engagement in such efforts.

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to understand how stakeholder engagement impacts outcomes when there is a change in public funding within community mental health settings.

DESIGN

A realist synthesis approach was used to address the research question to fully understand the role of stakeholder engagement as a mechanism in achieving outcomes (system and service user) in the context of community mental health service reform. An iterative process was used to identify programme theories and context-mechanism-outcome configurations within the literature.

RESULTS

Findings highlight that in the absence of stakeholder engagement, funding changes may lead to negative outcomes. When stakeholders were engaged in some form, funding changes were more often associated with positive outcomes. Stakeholder engagement is multifaceted and requires considerable time and investment to support achieving intended outcomes when funding changes are implemented.

CONCLUSIONS

To support successful transformation of community mental health programmes, it is important that stakeholders are meaningfully engaged during funding allocation changes. Stakeholder engagement may entail connecting around a shared purpose, individual participation and meaningful interactions and dialogue.

Crisis Lines: Current Status and Recommendations for Research and Policy

OBJECTIVE

The 988 telephone number was established by the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 and implemented in July 2022 as a more accessible way to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Current financial and training resources, however, are insufficient to ensure effective implementation.

METHODS

To better understand the state of the literature on crisis support lines in light of the 988 transition, the authors summarized research on suicidal and nonsuicidal outcomes of callers, research on other types of crisis support services, and the benefits of text- and chat-based crisis lines.

RESULTS

Overall, existing evidence for the effectiveness of crisis lines has been weak and has primarily focused on short-term improvements in user distress and on user satisfaction. In addition, research on crisis lines specifically targeted to marginalized populations (e.g., sexual minority groups) and on text- or chat-based crisis lines is lacking.

CONCLUSIONS

The policy-focused recommendations derived from this review include the need for additional research on crisis lines, design and evaluation of culturally tailored training for volunteers and staff, and ethical oversight of private data collected from crisis services. Scaling up state-level planning and comprehensive crisis systems is necessary to successfully implement 988 and to fill current training and research gaps.

Measurement feedback system implementation in public youth mental health treatment services: a mixed methods analysis

BACKGROUND

Prior studies indicate the effectiveness of measurement-based care (MBC), an evidence-based practice, in improving and accelerating positive outcomes for youth receiving behavioral health services. MBC is the routine collection and use of client-reported progress measures to inform shared decision-making and collaborative treatment adjustments and is a relatively feasible and scalable clinical practice, particularly well-suited for under-resourced community mental health settings. However, uptake of MBC remains low, so information on determinants related to MBC practice patterns is needed.

METHODS

Quantitative and qualitative data from N = 80 clinicians who implemented MBC using a measurement feedback system (MFS) were merged to understand and describe determinants of practice over three study phases. Quantitative, latent class analysis identified clinician groups based on participants' ratings of MFS acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility and describes similarities/differences between classes in clinician-level characteristics (e.g., age; perceptions of implementation climate; reported MFS use; phase I). Qualitative analyses of clinicians' responses to open-ended questions about their MFS use and feedback about the MFS and implementation supports were conducted separately to understand multi-level barriers and facilitators to MFS implementation (phase II). Mixing occurred during interpretation, examining clinician experiences and opinions across groups to understand the needs of different classes of clinicians, describe class differences, and inform selection of implementation strategies in future research (phase III).

RESULTS

We identified two classes of clinicians: "Higher MFS" and "Lower MFS," and found similarities and differences in MFS use across groups. Compared to Lower MFS participants, clinicians in the Higher MFS group reported facilitators at a higher rate. Four determinants of practice were associated with the uptake of MBC and MFS in youth-serving community mental health settings for all clinicians: clarity, appropriateness, and feasibility of the MFS and its measures; clinician knowledge and skills; client preferences and behaviors; and incentives and resources (e.g., time; continuing educational support). Findings also highlighted the need for individual-level implementation strategies to target clinician needs, skills, and perceptions for future MBC and MFS implementation efforts.

CONCLUSION

This study has implications for the adoption of evidence-based practices, such as MBC, in the context of community-based mental health services for youth.

To Utility and Beyond! Specifying and Advancing the Utility of Measurement-Based Care for Youth

Mental health organizations that serve youth are under pressure to adopt measurement-based care (MBC), defined as the continuous collection of client-report data used to support clinical decision-making as part of standard care. However, few frameworks exist to help leadership ascertain how to select an MBC approach for a clinical setting. This paper seeks to define how an MBC approach can display clinical utility to provide such a framework. Broadly, we define clinical utility as evidence that an MBC approach assists stakeholders in fulfilling clinical goals related to care quality (i.e., improve client-clinician alliance and clinical outcomes) at the client (i.e., youth and caregiver), clinician, supervisor, and administrator levels. More specifically, our definition of clinical utility is divided into two categories relevant to the usability and usefulness of an MBC approach for a specific setting: (a) implementability (i.e., evidence indicating ease of use in a clinical setting) and (b) usefulness in aiding clinical activities (i.e., evidence indicating the potential to improve communication and make clinical activities related to care quality easier or more effective). These categories provide valuable information about how easy an MBC approach is to use and the potential benefits that the MBC data will confer. To detail how we arrived at this definition, we review prior definitions of clinical utility, discuss how previous definitions inform our definition of clinical utility for MBC, and provide examples of how the concept of clinical utility can be applied to MBC. We finish with a discussion of future research directions.

Economic Precarity, Financial Strain, and Job-Related Stress Among Philadelphia's Public Mental Health Clinicians

OBJECTIVE

Efforts to improve mental health treatment delivery come at a time of rising inequality and cuts or insufficient increases to mental health funding. Public mental health clinicians face increased demands, experience economic stress, and treat underresourced patients disproportionately burdened by trauma. The authors sought to understand clinicians' current economic and psychological conditions and the relationship of these conditions to the delivery of an evidence-based intervention (EBI) designed to treat posttraumatic stress disorder among youths.

METHODS

In July 2020, 49 public mental health clinicians from 16 Philadelphia clinics who were trained in an EBI, trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), were surveyed by e-mail. Respondents reported on their economic precarity, financial strain, burnout, secondary traumatic stress (i.e., the stress response associated with caring for people exposed to trauma), and TF-CBT use. Associations between clinicians' job-related stressors and their use of TF-CBT were examined with mixed models. Content coding was used to organize clinicians' open-ended responses to questions regarding financial strain related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

RESULTS

Clinicians' economic precarity, financial strain, and job-related stress were high; 37% of clinicians were independent contractors, 44% of whom wanted a salaried position. Of 37 clinicians with education debt, 38% reported owing ≥$100,000. In the past year, 29% of clinicians reported lack of personal mental health care because of cost, and 22% met the cutoff for experiencing secondary traumatic stress symptoms. Education debt was negatively associated with use of TF-CBT (p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The stress of providing care in underresourced clinical settings may interfere with efforts to integrate scientific evidence into mental health care.

Stakeholder intention to engage in fidelity measurement methods in community mental health settings: A mixed methods study

Background

The current gold standard for measuring fidelity (specifically, adherence) to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is direct observation, a costly, resource-intensive practice that is not feasible for many community organizations to implement regularly. Recent research indicates that behavioral rehearsal (i.e., role-play between clinician and individual with regard to session delivery) and chart-stimulated recall (i.e., brief structured interview between clinician and individual about what they did in session; clinicians use the client chart to prompt memory) may provide accurate and affordable alternatives for measuring adherence to CBT in such settings, with behavioral rehearsal yielding greater correspondence with direct observation.

Methods

Drawing on established causal theories from social psychology and leading implementation science frameworks, this study evaluates stakeholders’ intention to use behavioral rehearsal and chart-stimulated recall. Specifically, we measured attitudes, self-efficacy, and subjective norms toward using each, and compared these factors across the two methods. We also examined the relationship between attitudes, self-efficacy, subjective norms, and intention to use each method. Finally, using an integrated approach we asked stakeholders to discuss their perception of contextual factors that may influence beliefs about using each method. These data were collected from community-based supervisors ( n = 17) and clinicians ( n = 66).

Results

Quantitative analyses suggest moderately strong intention to use both methods across stakeholders. There were no differences in supervisors’ or clinicians’ attitudes, self-efficacy, subjective norms, or intention across methods. More positive attitudes and greater reported subjective norms were associated with greater reported intention to use either measure. Qualitative analyses identified participants’ specific beliefs about using each fidelity measure in their organization, and results were organized using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.

Conclusions

Strategies are warranted to overcome or minimize potential barriers to using fidelity measurement methods and to further increase the strength of intention to use them. Plain Language Summary: The best way to measure fidelity, or how closely a clinician follows the protocol, to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is watching the session. This is an expensive practice that is not feasible for many community organizations to do regularly. Recent research indicates that behavioral rehearsal, or a role-play between the clinician and individual with regard to session delivery, and chart-stimulated recall, or a brief discussion between an individual and the clinician about what they did in session with the clinician having access to the chart to help them remember, may provide accurate and affordable alternatives for measuring fidelity to CBT. We just completed a study demonstrating that both methods are promising, with behavioral rehearsal offering scores that are the most similar to watching the session. Drawing on established theories from social psychology and leading implementation science frameworks, this study evaluates future supervisor and clinician motivation to use these fidelity measurement methods. Specifically, we measured supervisor (n = 17) and clinician (n = 66) attitudes, norms, self-efficacy, intentions, and anticipated barriers and facilitators to using each of these fidelity measurement tools. Quantitative and qualitative analyses suggest similar intention to use both methods, and concerns about barriers to using each method. Further research is warranted to minimize the burden associated with implementing fidelity measurement methods and deploying strategies to increase use.

Harnessing the Single-Session Intervention approach to promote scalable implementation of evidence-based practices in healthcare

Effective implementation of evidence-based practices often involves multi-level strategies targeting individual-, organizational-, and system-level determinants of change. Although these multi-level implementation approaches can successfully facilitate EBP uptake, they tend to be complex and resource intensive. Accordingly, there is a need for theory-driven, generalizable approaches that can enhance efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and scalability of existing implementation approaches. We propose the Single-Session Intervention approach as an unexplored path to developing low-cost and scalable implementation strategies, especially those targeting individual-level behavior change. We argue that single-session strategies (S3) for implementation, which can simultaneously target myriad barriers to individual behavior change, may promote clinicians' EBP uptake and sustainment in a manner that is low-resource and scalable. We first overview the evidence-base supporting the Single-Session Intervention approach for patient-level outcomes; situate this approach within the implementation science literature by outlining its intersections with a leading framework, the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), as an exemplar; and illustrate how the TDF might directly inform the design and evaluation of single-session strategies for EBP implementation. Overall, single-session strategies (S3) for implementation reflect a promising but yet-to-be-tested means of streamlining and scaling individual-level behavior change efforts in healthcare settings. Future partnered research is needed to gauge the potential of this approach across diverse clinical and community contexts.

Who gets coached? A qualitative inquiry into community clinicians' decisions to use caregiver coaching

LAY ABSTRACT

Providers' beliefs about an intervention's fit with a family can affect whether or not they use that intervention with a family. The factors that affect providers' decisions to use evidence-based practices for young autistic children have not been studied. These factors may play a role in the major differences we see in the quality of and access to early intervention services in the community. We looked at differences in providers' use of caregiver coaching, an evidence-based practice, with families from minority or vulnerable backgrounds, and the possible reasons for those differences. We did this to figure out what factors affect providers' use of caregiver coaching. We interviewed 36 early intervention providers from early intervention agencies in two different parts of the United States. Providers pointed out things like what they thought about a family's circumstances that affected their beliefs about how well coaching fits with minority and vulnerable families. Our findings bring attention to these beliefs that likely make accessing evidence-based practices for minority and vulnerable families harder and lessen the quality of care for these families of young autistic children. These findings highlight the need to come up with and use strategies to improve both access to and the quality of evidence-based practices for young autistic children from minority and vulnerable groups.

Future Directions in Lay Health Worker Involvement in Children's Mental Health Services in the U.S

Nearly half of children meeting criteria for a mental health disorder in the United States (U.S.) do not receive the treatment they need. Unfortunately, lack of access to and engagement in mental health services can be seen at even higher rates for historically marginalized groups, including low-income, racial, and ethnic minority youth. Lay Health Workers (LHWs) represent a valuable workforce that has been identified as a promising solution to address mental health disparities. LHWs are individuals without formal mental health training who oftentimes share lived experiences with the communities that they serve. A growing body of research has supported the mobilization of LHWs to address service disparities around the globe; however, challenges persist in how to scale-up and sustain LHW models of care, with specific barriers in the U.S. In this paper, we describe LHWs' different roles and involvement in the mental health field as well as the current state of the literature around LHW implementation. We integrate the RE-AIM Framework with a conceptual model of how LHWs address disparities to outline future directions in research and practice to enhance equity in the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance of LHW models of care and evidence-based practices for historically marginalized communities within the U.S.

Establishing Peer Recovery Support Services to Address the Central Appalachian Opioid Epidemic: The West Virginia Peers Enhancing Education, Recovery, and Survival (WV PEERS) Pilot Program

Introduction

Central Appalachia has been disproportionately affected by the opioid epidemic and overdose fatalities. We developed West Virginia Peers Enhancing Education, Recovery, and Survival (WV PEERS), a program based on peer recovery support, to engage individuals using opioids and link them with a range of services.

Methods

Community partners providing services to individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD) were identified and collaborations were formalized using a standardized memorandum of understanding. The program was structured to offer ongoing peer recovery support specialist (PRSS) services, not just a one-time referral. A website and cards describing the WV PEERS program were developed and disseminated via community partners and community education sessions.

Results

Overall, 1456 encounters with individuals with OUD (mean= 2 encounters per individual) occurred in a variety of community settings over 8 months. The majority of referrals were from harm reduction programs. Overall, 63.9% (n=931) of individuals served by WV PEERS accessed services for substance use disorders and/or mental health problems. Over half (52.3%; n = 487) of individuals entered substance use and/or mental health treatment, and nearly a third (30.4%; n = 283) remained in treatment over six months.

Implications

Using the WV PEERS model, PRSSs effectively engaged and linked individuals with OUD to mental health and substance use treatment in rural central Appalachia. Future research is needed to determine whether these services reduce the risk of overdose mortality.