DISSEMINATION AND UTILIZATION OF THE MENTAL-HEALTH EVALUATION

The final evaluation report on Washington state's mental health system received wide distribution and has had an immediate impact. If confir med that mental health reform was implemented as intended, without dis ruptions to mental health consumers. In some cases, services to client s improved. In the short term, mental health funding increased, and ma ny of the changes recommended in the report are in the process of bein g made. Although it is too soon to assess long-term impacts, follow-up on the report's recommendations will provide important new informatio n on how the goals of the reforms are being met.