Evaluation of Indiana Access to Recovery

Abstract

This presentation will discuss the evaluation of Indiana’s Access to Recovery (ATR) program. ATR is a 4-year federal demonstration grant managed by Indiana’s Division of Mental Health and Addiction (DMHA). ATR provides clients with access to services that are considered necessary components of recovery, but are often not available under traditional funding schemes (e.g., transportation, food access, housing). The evaluation started in May of 2012, and it is being carried out in collaboration with DMHA with funding from the Solution Center. Undergraduate and graduate student evaluators from the Center for Health Policy (CHP) are carrying out their work under the supervision of a faculty mentor. To date these students have: completed a literature review to assist DMHA in understanding ways to incentivize the work being carried out by providers; carried out 6 client focus groups and 15 provider phone interviews for formative evaluation purposes; and developed a logic model of the program. Students have also provided ongoing feedback to DMHA through their attendance at regularly scheduled advisory board meetings. Students are currently in the process of analyzing a large administrative database to provide feedback related to the effectiveness of the program. These finding will be of great benefit to DMHA as they seek to secure additional funding for ATR after the initial demonstration comes to a close. The presentation will discuss some of the early findings of the evaluation and a number of the lessons that students have learned about working in collaboration with a government partner.