F. Randolph et al., CREATING INTEGRATED SERVICE SYSTEMS FOR HOMELESS PERSONS WITH MENTAL-ILLNESS - THE ACCESS PROGRAM, Psychiatric services, 48(3), 1997, pp. 369-373
The Access to Community Care and Effective Services and Supports (ACCE
SS) demonstration program was initiated in 1993 by the U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services as part of a national agenda to end home
lessness among persons with serious mental illness. Demonstration proj
ects have been established in nine states to develop integrated system
s of care for this population. This paper provides an overview of the
ACCESS program and presents definitions of services integration and sy
stems integration, Evaluating the effectiveness of integration strateg
ies is a critical aspect of the program, The authors describe the eval
uation design and the integration strategies being evaluated and summa
rize findings from a formative evaluation of the project's first two y
ears. The evaluation revealed several problems that were addressed by
providing technical assistance to the states. States were helped to ar
ticulate a broader mission of addressing system-level barriers, develo
p an expanded plan, strengthen the authority of interagency councils,
involve leaders at the state and agency level, and develop joint fundi
ng strategies.