What We Do
Who We Are
CMHIS is housed at the Stanford Center for Dissemination and Implementation in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine. We’ve partnered with colleagues from five bi-regional Hubs to identify and develop resources and support organizations and systems to prepare for, implement, and sustain effective mental health programs and practices. CMHIS and our bi-regional Hubs draw on the latest research and extensive experiential knowledge of how to sustainably implement practices to support organizations and systems in improving mental health care. We can help you map the course to desired changes, navigate roadblocks, and provide support to ensure that the people who need it receive the excellent mental health care that providers always strive to deliver.
Our Vision
Effective mental health care is foundational to good health. The best practices should be accessible to all who are seeking care and easy to deliver for those providing it.
The Challenge
People seeking mental health care often have difficulty accessing care or receiving the most effective treatments. When organizations providing mental health care try implementing new services, they often run into organizational or systemic barriers. Sometimes, new practices may be deemed to “not work” when it could be the result of these barriers.
Fortunately, with implementation support, organizations can learn to anticipate and address communication, coordination, workforce knowledge and skills, and other barriers and resource gaps.
Our Approach
Adopting an effective mental health program or service is not just about the “what” of the service but also about the “how” of practice change. CMHIS focuses on the “how” and creates tools and resources to assist organizations to do their work better. We offer tangible and practical support so systems and leadership can make real changes that meet the needs of the people they serve.
How We Do It
CMHIS and our bi-regional Hubs can help your organization or system improve the delivery of mental health care by supporting you in preparing, implementing, and sustaining effective prevention, treatment, and recovery programs and services.
We offer support in the following areas:
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Engaging the community and assessing their mental health needs
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Identifying factors that influence implementation
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Deciding what support is needed to implement a new practice
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Measuring patient progress over time
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Marketing programs and services
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Using data to improve service delivery
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Evaluating program outcomes
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Sustaining service delivery