Fresno County mental health services providers piloted a new web-based tool to collect outcomes data. The data indicate the programs serve a diverse, high-needs population. Youth and adults alike experienced challenges in various domains: They had low self-efficacy, high perceived stress, low social support, and low overall life satisfaction. Adults also reported low mental health knowledge and difficulty functioning because of emotional issues.

Evaluation of Outcomes of Fresno County's Mental Health Prevention Programs

J. Scott Ashwood, Nicole K. Eberhart, Stephanie Williamson, Amy L. Shearer

ResearchPublished Jun 28, 2024

California's prevention and early intervention (PEI) regulations state that county departments of behavioral health should measure appropriate outcomes and indicators, but the regulations do not provide specific guidance on which outcomes to measure and how to measure them. Many counties have struggled to measure PEI outcomes, in part because prevention programs often do not use electronic health records to capture participant data. To address this challenge, the Fresno County Department of Behavioral Health engaged a RAND evaluation team to design a web-based data collection tool for its prevention programs. This report summarizes initial results from early data collected via this new tool from four prevention programs that piloted it. The data indicate that the programs serve a diverse, high-needs population. Youth and adults alike experienced challenges in various domains: They had low self-efficacy, high perceived stress, low social support, and low overall life satisfaction. Adults also reported low mental health knowledge and difficulty functioning because of emotional issues.

Key Takeaways

  • The participating county prevention programs serve a diverse population that experiences serious challenges with mental health and life functioning.
  • Youth and adults alike experienced challenges in various domains: They had low self-efficacy, high perceived stress, low social support, and low overall life satisfaction.
  • Adults served by these programs also reported low mental health knowledge and difficulty functioning in their day-to-day lives because of emotional issues.

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Ashwood, J. Scott, Nicole K. Eberhart, Stephanie Williamson, and Amy L. Shearer, Evaluation of Outcomes of Fresno County's Mental Health Prevention Programs. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2024. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1035-1.html.
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This research was funded by the California Mental Health Services Authority and carried out within the Access and Delivery Program in RAND Health Care.

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