Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Projects
Based upon the research literature and feedback from the various mental hygiene stakeholder groups (community providers, consumers of services, advocates, family members and NYC DOHMH staff) DMH decided to focus its improvement efforts on a number of priority areas including screening and follow-up of physical health need in mental hygiene programs; partnerships between consumers, families and treatment providers; assessment and treatment of co-occurring mental health and chemical dependency disorders; and cultural competency. Programs were also given the opportunity to develop their own program specific CQI projects:
Health Integration Projects
- Improving the Assessment and Integration of Physical Health Needs with Adults, Adolescents and Children in Mental Hygiene Programs (2008 - 2009): Participating programs screen for health needs, identify outstanding or unmet physical health needs, integrate health needs into treatment and provide follow-up of these needs. In addition, programs track the number of consumers who are due for or have received their annual physical exam. Programs also choose an additional area of focus including screening for metabolic abnormalities; smoking cessation; weight management; hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing, access to treatment and prevention; and dental care.
- Improving the Assessment and Integration of Physical Health Needs with Adults Participating in Drug and Alcohol Treatment Programs (2008 -2009): Participating programs screen for health needs, identify outstanding or unmet physical health needs, integrate health needs into treatment and provide follow-up of these needs. In addition, programs track the number of consumers who are due for or have received their annual physical exam. Programs track the number of consumers whose HCV status is unknown and receive testing; the number who are identified as positive and need further medical evaluation or follow up and who receive it; and those who have a risk reduction goal in their treatment plan based on assessment of need.
Partnerships Projects
Since 2005, DMH has worked with our partners in the community to strengthen partnerships with consumers and families by improving consumer access to and engagement in care in outpatient mental health, chemical dependency, and MRDD settings. DMH collaborates closely with stakeholders in the community, including consumers, family advocates, service providers, and local and state government to shape our quality improvement efforts. Together, we have developed our vision to encompass consumer-centered engagement strategies, family-driven treatment in programs serving children, and consumer and family involvement in program development. Through these efforts, we have promoted the local adoption of practices that foster resiliency and recovery.
- Improving Treatment Engagement and Outcomes by Strengthening Partnerships with Consumers and Families (2008 - 2009): Participating programs work towards offering services more rapidly, expanding on opportunities for meaningful consumer and family engagement in treatment sessions, and creating opportunities for consumers and families to contribute to program development decisions.
- The Welcoming Clinic: Improving Access through Client-Centered Services in Mental Hygiene Treatment Programs (2006 - 2008):The overall goal of this project was to improve consumer engagement in treatment by improving the program’s ability to partner with consumers to ensure that treatment is targeted to individual strengths, needs and preferred goals. To this end, providers collected data on rates of kept appointments, consumer participation in enhanced treatment planning strategies, rate of discharge due to consumer non-attendance and/or the average wait time between date of referral and first treatment appointment.
- Improving Mental Health Services for Children and Families (2006 - 2008): The overall goal of this priority project was to improve the quality of mental health care for children by strengthening partnerships with families in mental health treatment settings. Programs worked to boost the rate of collateral visits, incorporate strength-based parent skills groups into their treatment programs, administer a brief survey to family members to elicit family perceptions about their child’s treatment and track kept appointment rates for collateral visits and for children’s initial and ongoing visits.
Co-occurring Disorders Projects
Cultural Competency Project
- Improving Cultural Competence in Mental Health Treatment Programs (2004 - 2006): The overall goal of this project was to reduce disparities in access to services across populations and provide quality care to all New York City residents, regardless of cultural background. This project sought to increase the admissions of adults of a target population that the program determined to be underserved, and to improve the provision of services for all adults by identifying and documenting important cultural factors that should be considered in treatment planning and service delivery
Program Specific Project
