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Evaluation of Mental Health Transformation State Incentive Grant
(MHT SIG) Program
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
In 2002, the President established the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health and charged the group with conducting a comprehensive study of the mental health service system and making recommendations for immediate improvements that the federal and state governments and other stakeholders could implement. In response to the Commission’s recommendations, a Federal Action Agenda was developed called Transforming Mental Health Care in America. As a critical component of this agenda, the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) awarded 5-year Mental Health Transformation State Incentive Grants (MHT SIGs) to the Offices of the Governors of seven states (CT, MD, NM, OH, OK, TX, and WA).
The MHT SIG program supports an array of infrastructure and service delivery improvement activities to help states build a solid foundation for delivering and sustaining effective mental health and related services based on the six goals of the New Freedom Commission’s final report. Through the grant program, states will develop and implement a Comprehensive State Mental Health Plan that builds on a thorough needs assessment and inventory of resources and cuts across state agencies that provide services relevant to mental health.
SAMHSA has engaged MANILA to design and conduct, in collaboration with the grantees and under the direction of the federal staff, an independent, objective cross-site evaluation. This evaluation will satisfy the requirements of the Program Assessment Rating Tool (PART), which was introduced to assess and improve performance of federal programs. Among other tasks, our work will evaluate the degree of transformation of systems, identify factors that contribute to successful transformation, and demonstrate the cost-efficiency of the program. |
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