2017-703-E Health - National Assn of State Mental Health Directors service agreement

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DocuSign Envelope ID:CAABEAFA-9919-4207-B5CD-58E618EA747E An objective review of the strengths and weaknesses in the Behavioral Health System of Care only goes so far to make recommendations for improvements. The true test of effectiveness rests within the perceptions of clients, family members, and other stakeholders. To meet this goal, NRI will facilitate the focus group described in Deliverable 1 to gain their perspectives on gaps in services and resources, barriers to accessing care, and referral processes. Focus group members will also be asked how residents navigate and access resources within the current system. Hearing from service recipients themselves, as well as those that have helped someone obtain services, will provide valuable insights into how residents are actually accessing services. This qualitative information will be used to supplement the objective review of services based on national guidance on the optimal composition of local behavioral health systems. NRI will create two visual depictions of the system. The first will be a geographic map to display the physical location and distribution of services across the county. The map will be created using GIS software. In our experience, public transportation —either the lack of or limited routes - is often cited as a major barrier to accessing care. We noted that location of services and transportation was listed as a barrier to receiving treatment in the 2016 OCHD Assessment of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. For these reasons, we believe that a geographic map of provider locations overlaid with public transportation routes will yield an interesting perspective on service availability within the County. The second map is conceptualized to be a drawing which highlights how an individual or family actually navigates the system. NRI will employ the creative technique of live illustration during the focus group of stakeholders. Live illustration maximizes participant engagement and greatly increases mutual understanding of ideas. When people can literally see the conversation take shape and see their ideas captured in a visual way, they feel heard and understood at a very deep level that leads to a sense of trust and shared understanding unlike anything they've experienced before. The combined power of listening to the spoken word I Tw�MK r pLII U P_ �J to PJTLNS .E GOP FALIt+T��wc ,te�Wk:ll Page 11 NRI • 3141 Fairview Park Drive • Suite 650• Falls Church, VA• 22042 • 703-738-8160 •www.nri-inc.org