The following publications are from RAND's evaluation of programs funded by California's Mental Health Services Act.
This report describes the evaluation of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health’s 2023 mental health prevention and early intervention and mental health workforce campaigns.
This evaluation indicates that the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health WeRise events and outreach successfully reached county residents, mobilized them around mental health, and may have boosted awareness of mental health resources.
This evaluation indicates that the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health–Dodgers partnership to expand the reach of the WhyWeRise program successfully reached county residents and raised awareness of county mental health resources.
This report presents an evaluation of a Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health campaign with the Los Angeles Dodgers that focuses on early intervention for mental health challenges—an effort specifically aimed at the team's diverse fan base.
RAND researchers describe a survey conducted to evaluate the reach and impact of a 2021 Los Angeles County social marketing campaign promoting awareness of county mental health resources and communicating messages of resilience, support, and hope.
This campaign focuses on prevention of and early intervention for mental health challenges. Surveys suggest that the fall 2020 and spring 2021 efforts reached a diverse group of county residents and boosted awareness of mental health resources.
RAND evaluators found that a Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health campaign promoting awareness of county resources successfully reached residents, fostered a feeling of support among those it reached, and conveyed how to seek help.
Los Angeles County, in partnership with the Los Angeles Sparks basketball team, conducted a mental health campaign aimed at women veterans. It did not reach large numbers but provided new information about mental health among those it did reach.
RAND evaluated the reach and impact of a moral injury conference and its goals to deepen knowledge about moral injury and effective recovery strategies and to strengthen collaborative connections.
Interviews and a survey indicate that WhyWeRise, a community engagement mental health campaign, reached at least 30 percent of Los Angeles County youth and mobilized them to improve societal support for those experiencing mental health challenges.
In order to evaluate how well a Los Angeles County mental health campaign met its goals, RAND conducted an in-person survey of event attendees, a social media analysis, and a web-based survey of a broader population of Los Angeles youth.
To evaluate how well a Los Angeles County mental health campaign met its goals, RAND conducted an in-person survey of event attendees, a social media analysis, and a web-based survey of a broader population of Los Angeles youth.
RAND estimated government spending and cost savings associated with outcomes targeted by Full Service Partnership programs in Los Angeles County: homelessness, criminal justice detention, health care (inpatient and outpatient), and employment.
This report estimates government spending and cost savings associated with outcomes targeted by Full Service Partnership programs in Los Angeles County: homelessness, criminal justice detention, health care (inpatient and outpatient), and employment.
Webinar of training guidance for data collectors and data entry personnel who will be using surveys to monitor prevention program outcomes.
In this document, RAND researchers describe how they developed a tool to help the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health comply with regulations to report on outcomes for prevention mental health programs.
This report examines the reach of mental health programs in Los Angeles County and what the impact of those programs has been.
RAND researchers examined the geographic and demographic reach of Mental Health Services Act-funded activities in Los Angeles County and assessed their impact on clients.
This report describes surveys of a representative sample of California adults to understand the reach and impact of the California Mental Health Services Authority's mental health prevention and early intervention campaigns.
Testimony presented before the California State Assembly Committee on Budget, Subcommittee No. 1 on Health and Human Services on May 1, 2023.
California, much like many parts of the United States, is confronting a shortage of psychiatric beds. This report presents an evaluation of California's adult psychiatric bed need for 2021 and the coming years.
Data from the California Health Interview Survey can facilitate the state, regional, and county tracking of key mental health indicators, including mental health services, service use, unmet need for services, and mental health-related functioning.
This handbook provides guidance to practitioners and organizations interested in evaluating mental health prevention and early intervention programs.
RAND evaluated the California Mental Health Services Authority's prevention and early intervention initiatives. The results show that many program components were successfully implemented and achieved their intended impacts in the short term.
Summarizes findings from an evaluation of a set of California initiatives to help reduce mental health stigma and discrimination, prevent suicide, and improve student mental health.
This report reviews the current state of evidence for Mental Health First Aid's effectiveness in key target populations, to help the California Mental Health Services Authority's planning for future prevention and early intervention activities.
This report summarizes key findings from the second year of an evaluation of the California Mental Health Services Authority's statewide prevention and early intervention programs.
Provides preliminary advice about which of the California Mental Health Services Authority's Prevention and Early Intervention activities seem most valuable to sustain or, in some cases, enhance.
Evaluates the progress of the California Mental Health Services Authority's statewide Prevention and Early Intervention initiatives.
Provides a summary and commentary on a RAND interim evaluation of the California Mental Health Services Authority statewide prevention and early intervention program.
This fact sheet summarizes findings from a baseline statewide survey of Californians regarding their knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes regarding the mental health issues that are the focus of the state' prevention and early intervention program.
This fact sheet assesses the progress that partners in California's Prevention and Early Intervention (PEI) Program have made so far in developing capacities and reaching Californians in accordance with the statewide strategic PEI plan.
In a historic effort to reduce the stigma of mental illness, California voters approved the Mental Health Services Act in 2004.
This report describes a collection of frameworks for evaluating prevention and early intervention funding for mental health services for the California population.
The California campaign increased service use by leading more individuals to interpret symptoms of distress as indicating a need for treatment.
Two stages of the help-seeking process - perceiving a need for mental health treatment and treatment use - are related to different facets of stigma.
Reports racial and ethnic differences on the California Well-Being Survey, a surveillance tool that tracks mental illness stigma and discrimination among a sample of California adults experiencing psychological distress.
This report examines the potential impact of the California Mental Health Services Authority's stigma and discrimination reduction social marketing campaign on the use of adult behavioral health services, and it estimates the benefit-cost ratios.
This report evaluated three National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) programs aimed at reducing mental illness stigma and discrimination among adult audiences.
Describes the methods and results of a RAND evaluation of the Integrated Behavioral Health Project's efforts to promote the integration of mental and physical health care among various health care stakeholders in California.
Describes the methods and results of a RAND evaluation of stigma and discrimination reduction efforts by Runyon Saltzman Einhorn, Inc., involving screenings of a documentary film called "A New State of Mind: Ending the Stigma of Mental Illness."
This report describes the results of RAND's evaluation of the San Francisco-based Center for Dignity, Recovery, and Empowerment's technical assistance program for stigma-reduction programs through interviews with community-partner participants.
This paper evaluates the short-term outcomes of students attending the National Alliance on Mental Illness' Ending the Silence presentations, delivered across three high schools in a Northern California school district.
Reports on an evaluation of online resources developed by the California Mental Health Services Authority's stigma and discrimination reduction initiative program partners and provides an overview of these resources and the use of partner websites.
Describes the methods and results of a RAND evaluation of stigma and discrimination reduction trainings delivered by two program partners, Disability Rights California and Mental Health America of California.
Presents results of a one-year follow-up to the 2014 California Statewide Survey, which was developed to track attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors related to mental illness. This report focuses on items measuring stigma.
Presents results of the 2014 California Well-Being Survey, which tracks mental illness stigma and discrimination, well-being, and exposure to prevention and early intervention activities among Californians experiencing psychological distress.
Report examines mental illness stigma and related beliefs among young adults in California, especially whether levels of stigma are higher or lower than those observed in older adults.
Report identifies racial and ethnic groups in California that are more likely to stigmatize those with mental illness, thereby helping understand who is at greatest risk of experiencing stigma within their own communities.
Report examines the effects of a school-based theatrical performance, Walk In Our Shoes, designed to educate youth about and reduce stigma and discrimination toward mental illness.
This fact sheet summarizes the first-year evaluation of California's Stigma and Discrimination Reduction Initiative.
Summarizes first-year findings of an ongoing evaluation of a California program aimed at developing statewide capacities and implementing interventions to reduce stigma and discrimination toward those with mental illness.
A number of programs aim to reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness, and they can include a variety of components such as training, education, media campaigns, and contact with people with mental illness.
RAND developed a fidelity monitoring protocol composed of adherence and competence measures based on the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) for the California Mental Health Services Authority.
In conclusion and similar to many past evaluations, we find no evidence that the KTS campaign was effective in changing the way in which suicides are reported on in California had any effect.
California's "Know the Signs" media campaign for suicide prevention is consistent with what is known about best practices, though evidence in this field is still nascent.
Because individuals calling a suicide crisis hotline generally cannot choose the center or responder who will take their call, it is critical to promote quality across all call centers and minimize variability in operating procedures.
This report evaluates landscape in which suicide prevention hotlines operate, focusing on California but with nationwide implications, and provides recommendations to ensure that callers at risk of suicide seek and receive the help they need.
Suicide prevention trainings are implemented to equip the public's ability to intervene with those who are at-risk, but their implementation is not often monitored for quality.
Report describes the methods for developing and testing a silent monitoring protocol for California suicide crisis call centers to evaluate call content and quality, document staff strengths and weaknesses, and identify areas for further training.
Presents results of a one-year follow-up to a survey on Know the Signs, a California mass media suicide prevention campaign, and examines the effect of campaign exposure on respondents' confidence to intervene with someone at risk for suicide.
Estimates the possible reductions in suicide attempts resulting from investment in ASIST and estimates the financial return to Californians from reduced medical costs associated with suicide attempts and increased earnings from each life saved.
Estimates the possible reductions in suicide attempts and deaths resulting from investment in ASIST and the financial return to Californians from reduced medical costs and increased earnings that would result from averted suicide attempts and deaths.
Reports the findings of an evaluation by a panel of experts on the extent to which a suicide prevention media campaign in California is aligned with best practices in the field.
Reports on an evaluation of California suicide intervention training workshops to provide evidence that training is delivered with fidelity and adherence to the workshop's design, as well as with high quality.
Assesses the results of a statewide survey to determine language differences among California adults' exposure to suicide prevention messaging, confidence to intervene with someone at risk of suicide, and resource preferences.
Report evaluates the effects of a California mass media program that aims to prepare more Californians to prevent suicide by encouraging them to know the warning signs, offer support to persons at risk, and reach out to local resources.
Report assesses differences in racial and ethnic groups' exposure to suicide prevention messaging, preferences for suicide crisis services, and confidence in their ability to intervene with persons at risk of suicide.
Report assesses the types of resources, ranging from face-to-face interactions with mental health professionals to texting a crisis line, that adults in California prefer to utilize for suicidal thoughts or feelings.
This fact sheet summarizes the first-year evaluation of California's Suicide Prevention Initiative.
Summarizes first-year findings of an ongoing evaluation of a California program aimed at developing statewide capacities and implementing interventions to prevent suicide.
This fact sheet summarizes the first-year evaluation of California's Suicide Prevention Initiative.
Prevention and early intervention initiatives aim to reduce the incidence of suicide and other mental health problems, and the authors evaluate these initiatives by reviewing suicide prevention (SP) literature to learn about SP program effectiveness and methodologies.
Activities through college student peer organizations like Active Minds can improve attitudes toward and perceived knowledge of mental health issues and increase helping behaviors.
This report determines the preliminary impact of CalMHSA's prevention and early intervention activities on the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of California community college faculty and staff regarding supporting students' mental health needs.
Two surveys of California public college students provide insight into the preliminary impact of the California Mental Health Services Authority's activities on college students' receipt of information about mental health issues and support services.
College students are at high risk for mental health problems, yet many do not receive treatment even when services are available. Treatment needs may be even higher among sexual minority students, but little is known about how these students differ from heterosexual peers in terms of mental health needs and service utilization.
Significant need for mental health services exists among college students in California, especially where services are not offered on campus.
This report evaluates the Interactive Video Simulation Training to help campus law enforcement professionals refer and intervene with college students experiencing psychological distress.
Reports results of a survey to assess the impact of state investments in mental health programs at California public colleges and the return on investment in terms of student use of treatment, graduation rates, and lifetime earnings.
Analysis of visitors to CalMHSA-funded student mental health websites shows that visitors at educational institutions comprised the largest audience segment and promotional campaigns likely increased traffic.
Reports results of a survey to assess the impact of CalMHSA's investments in mental health programs at California public colleges and estimates the return on investment in terms of student use of treatment, graduation rates, and lifetime earnings.
Reports results of a survey of K-12 principals to take inventory of student mental health and wellness needs and the types of programs schools are most often implementing to help students in California's public schools.
Reports on an evaluation of California mental health trainings offered to staff and students in California's higher education system.
Reports on an evaluation of California mental health trainings offered to staff in California's K-12 system.
Reports on an evaluation of student mental health collaboration activities among California K-12 school districts, counties, and regions.
Reports on an evaluation of student mental health collaboration activities among California higher education systems, community agencies, and county mental health.
Report provides the results of a California survey of colleges and universities on mental health experiences and attitudes, perceptions of campus mental health services, and perceptions of overall campus climate toward mental health and well-being.
Report evaluates the development, quality, and effectiveness of collaboration activities among California Student Mental Health program partners in higher education.
Report evaluates the development, quality, and effectiveness of collaboration activities among California K-12 Student Mental Health program partners.
This fact sheet summarizes the first-year evaluation of California's Student Mental Health Initiative.
Summarizes first-year findings of an ongoing evaluation of a California program aimed at developing statewide capacities and implementing interventions to improve student mental health.
The authors review data on the prevalence of youth mental health disorders and schools' use of student mental health (SMH) programs and describe schools' role in addressing SMH concerns and outline a conceptual model for guiding program evaluation.
