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Session Title: Peeling Back the Layers From Policy to Practice: The Impact of National Measures on Local Substance Abuse Consumers
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Panel Session 254 to be held in Capitol Ballroom Section 7 on Thursday, Nov 6, 10:55 AM to 12:25 PM
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Sponsored by the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health TIG
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| Chair(s): |
| Robert Hubbard,
National Development and Research Institutes Inc,
hubbard@ndri-nc.org
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| Abstract:
To respond to accountability demands and enhance the effectiveness of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funded programs, SAMHSA implemented a national, performance-based, outcome-driven measurement system, the National Outcomes Measures (NOMs) in 2007. These federal measures establish the domains and frame the outcomes that are assessed for evaluating substance abuse consumers' progress and program performance. This panel will discuss the multi-layered implications of implementing a national policy in terms of the often distinct information needs and data requirements at each level of the service system: federal, state, and local. Using North Carolina as a case study, this panel will explore the challenges of moving NOMS from policy to practice at a local and state level.
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Exploring the Core: The Ongoing Challenges of Developing National Measures for Substance Abuse Treatment Program Outcomes
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| Deena Murphy,
National Development and Research Institutes, Inc,
murphy@ndri-nc.org
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| Robert Hubbard,
National Development and Research Institutes Inc,
hubbard@ndri-nc.org
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Robert Hubbard is Director of the Institute for Community-Based Research of the National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. (NDRI-NC) and over the last 30 years has played a key role in the research, development, and utilization of systems and tools to improve outcomes and enhance program performance as part of a total quality improvement approach. Deena Murphy is a Principal Research Analyst at NDRI-NC and her research focuses on understanding how to improve local and state use of "top down" evaluation systems. Based on this research and Robert Hubbard's extensive experience in the substance abuse field, the ongoing challenges related to developing, implementing, and using national outcomes measures will be discussed.
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Framing the Layers of Policy Around Substance Abuse Outcome Measurement
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| Marge Cawley,
National Development and Research Institutes Inc,
cawley@ndri-nc.org
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Marge Cawley will provide a structural framework within which outcomes evaluation is pursued for substance abuse consumers in the state of North Carolina as guided by federal policy. She will explore the elements that impinge on the success of data collection and its relevance to the stakeholders at each level. These will include addressing the usefulness of the data to all levels of participants, the methods of collecting the data, the measurement options as well as the design and instrument review. This presentation will explore the process of data interpretation for all levels of stakeholders.
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Revealing the Contradictory Goals in Evaluating Outcomes Within the Layers of the Substance Abuse Treatment System in North Carolina
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| Mindy McNeely,
North Carolina State University,
mindy_mcneely@ncsu.edu
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Mindy McNeely will focus upon the data and evaluation needs pertinent at the federal, state, provider, and consumer levels of the North Carolina substance abuse service system. This presentation will concentrate on the often confounding process of providing outcomes that are useful and yet serve many purposes. Data gathered using North Carolina's Treatment Outcomes and Program Performance System' (NC-TOPPS) outcomes tool will be used to examine consumer outcomes and stakeholders needs. The challenge of translating the relevance of outcomes dictated from a higher level of bureaucracy is often a barrier to the broad utilization of outcomes data for evaluating program success and consumer progress. The elements that influence this process in North Carolina will be delineated here.
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