"Getting To Outcomes" Demonstration Improves Prevention Capacity and Performance

Communities implementing substance abuse prevention programs are increasingly being required by state and federal funders to achieve outcomes and be accountable. However, they are often not provided the guidance or the tools needed to successfully meet this challenge. To improve the likelihood of achieving positive outcomes, the Getting To Outcomes (GTO) intervention—made up of a RAND published manual, training, and onsite technical assistance—is designed to provide guidance and tools that build prevention capacity in a way that is tailored to the needs of the community.* An evaluation of a GTO demonstration was conducted in collaboration with two substance abuse prevention coalitions. Results show that staff in programs assigned to GTO and who used it more frequently reported statistically greater gains in prevention capacity after two years than staff who used the program less frequently. Further, the programs assigned to GTO achieved greater increases on a standardized measure of prevention performance during the two-year demonstration period than comparison programs, although this involved a small number of programs. RAND currently provides an intervention manual in Spanish and English at no cost.

* Prevention capacity is defined as the knowledge, attitudes, and skills needed for the performance of high quality prevention.

Sources:

The Getting To Outcomes Demonstration and Evaluation: an Illustration of the Prevention Support System

Chinman M, Hunter SB, Ebener P, Paddock SM, Stillman L, Imm P, Wandersman A

Full Report »
May require registration or subscription to the American Journal of Community Psychology

Getting to Outcomes 2004: Promoting Accountability Through Methods and Tools for Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation.

Chinman M, Imm P, Wandersman A.

Full Manual »
In Spanish »

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