Evaluation Sheds Light on Effectiveness of Innovative Health Program
State and local officials will soon be able to monitor the progress of a new behavioral health initiative with the help of Vinson Institute survey and evaluation specialists.
The Community-Based Alternatives for Youth (CBAY) program allows severely mentally ill children to remain with their families or in their communities as an alternative to living in a residential mental health facility, explains Virginia Dick, Institute faculty member, who will be carrying out the evaluation with research specialist Yvonne Mensa-Wilmot. CBAY is currently being piloted in 15 northwest Georgia counties as well as Chatham, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, Rockdale, and Newton counties by Georgia’s Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD).
Using a special data collection tool, the Institute team will conduct individual interviews with participating youth, family members, care coordinators, and other support team members at six-month intervals throughout their enrollment period. Information summarized into reports provided to DBHDD officials and location administrators will offer a snapshot of each case over time and also illuminate factors contributing to the initiative’s overall effectiveness across the state.
“The objective format of this evaluation will provide leaders with data-driven information that will be helpful for making decisions about a program for which there is no previous history,” said Dick. CBAY began providing services in August 2009. The first round of data collection is currently under way. The evaluation is scheduled to continue for the duration of the five-year grant.
