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Levels of System of Care Implementation: A National Benchmark Study

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Abstract

The results of a survey to measure the implementation of the systems of care (SOC) approach in a nationally representative sample of counties are presented. The results from 910 informants within 225 counties reveal a moderate level of implementation of SOC factors, with the level of poverty and population size influencing implementation. Furthermore, mental health informants generally tended to rate the implementation of systems of care greater than administrators associated with the school system, other family serving agency personnel or family members. Family members and school personnel tended to rate the implementation lowest, while staff from the other child serving agencies tended to rate the implementation closer to mental health administrators. A quarter of the counties (26%) surveyed rated themselves as having adequate levels of implementation on 11 or more of the 14 factors, while 75% rated themselves as having adequate levels of implementation on six or more of the 14 factors measured. Implications for federal policies regarding systems of care implementation are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This research was partially supported by Grant H133B90004 from the Center for Mental Health Services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. The opinions contained in this manuscript are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of either the US Department of Education or the Center for Mental Health Services, SAMHSA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Child and Family Studies, MHC 2335, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    Krista Kutash PhD

  2. Department of Child and Family Studies, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    Paul E. Greenbaum PhD & Robert M. Friedman PhD

  3. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    Wei Wang PhD

  4. Department of Mental Health Law and Policy, Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    Roger A. Boothroyd PhD

Authors
  1. Krista Kutash PhD
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  2. Paul E. Greenbaum PhD
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  3. Wei Wang PhD
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  4. Roger A. Boothroyd PhD
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  5. Robert M. Friedman PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Krista Kutash PhD.

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Kutash, K., Greenbaum, P.E., Wang, W. et al. Levels of System of Care Implementation: A National Benchmark Study. J Behav Health Serv Res 38, 342–357 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-011-9242-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-011-9242-2

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