We are providing evaluation services for their SAMHSA-funded Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) grant, an evidence-based program designed to support community living for individuals with serious mental illness (adults) and emotional disturbance (children and adolescents).

ACT Programs provide core services to people living with serious mental illness that include crisis intervention, illness management and recovery skills, supportive therapy, housing and employment support, case management, and many other support services. ACT Programs have an intensive team approach, like reviewing every patient daily, small caseloads, time-unlimited services, flexible service delivery, and more. Prairie Ridge has three specific goals: Expand the current ACT program to serve more individuals; provide whole-person care to support patients to live stably in the community; improve health and functioning of ACT patients to decrease their mortality risks. They intend to serve 95 individuals in eight rural counties in North Central Iowa during the grant period.

Northeast Iowa Behavioral Health in Decorah received a four-year Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) grant from SAMHSA in September 2022. The grant assists in the planning, development, and implementation to meet the certification criteria to become a CCBHC. Northeast Iowa will provide person- and family-centered integrated services to a 5-county area in rural Iowa. UI ARC is conducting the evaluation for the grant.

The Sixth Judicial District had a program called the Large-Scale Intervention Expansion Project in Community Corrections which provided additional support services for people at risk for incarceration with co-occurring mental health or substance use disorders. Individuals completed at least one intervention during their supervision, over a six-month period. Potential interventions included developing social skills, problem-solving, relationship-building, emotional regulation tactics, and others. Our evaluation team collected and analyzed multiple data sets from clients enrolled in the Intervention Program, plus comparative analysis with a group not involved in the program to determine the efficacy of the interventions.

In September 2018, the Iowa Sixth Judicial District Department of Correctional Services received a five-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to implement services that incorporate the principles of the Housing First model program. This project addressed the housing instability, and the lack of resources needed to support clients in the Linn County Drug Treatment Court program by providing supportive housing services. Resources for Human Development (RHD) delivered case management and housing resource services to individuals in the project. Sixth Judicial contracted with UI ARC to conduct the evaluation SAMHSA required for this grant.

In August 2021, Prairie Ridge Integrated Behavioral Health in Mason City, Iowa received a two-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to become a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC). This grant focused on increasing access to high-quality, evidence-based community behavioral health and substance use disorder services by providing comprehensive, integrated care to directly address behavioral health issues, chronic health conditions and adverse social determinants. Prairie Ridge expanded the availability and ease of access for mental health and substance use disorder treatment including reducing wait times and addressing transportation barriers. They also expanded services for Veterans, implementing the Zero Suicide Model, and implemented an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team.  The CCBHC grant served 1,000 individuals during the two-year timeframe. UI ARC conducted the evaluation for the grant.

Prairie Ridge Integrated Behavioral Health in Mason City, Iowa was awarded a two-year grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in September 2021 under the Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) funding opportunity. The purpose of this grant was to restore the delivery of community mental health services that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. With this grant, Prairie Ridge established two community Drop-In Centers, expanding access to Integrated Health Home services, addressing behavioral health issues of school-aged children by providing “Reconnecting Youth” curriculum in schools, and expanding access to peer recovery coaches. UI ARC conducted the evaluation for the grant.