Research

Funded by the Suncoast Region of the Department of Children and Families, the project focused on bringing together mental health and substance abuse service providers to move their systems toward integrated care delivery. Nine on-line training modules were designed for counselors and behavioral technicians who deliver services directly to clients in their facilities. Over 30,000 certifi cates of completion have been issued to date

Website: http://cmhwbt.fmhi.usf.edu/co-occurring/intro_00_title.cfm

Developmental methodology to understand the costs of homelessness for individuals who experienced homelessness in Jacksonville from 04-06 as part of the Costs of Homelessness Study for HUD PD&R

Funding Agency: Abt Associates, Inc.
Award Amount: $16,182
Dates: 06/01/2007 - 03/31/2008

The focus of this study is to describe and quantify cost over time of individuals with serious mental illnesses who had contacts with the criminal justice system so as to predict classification of these individuals.

Principal Investigator: Richard Van Dorn, PhD
Funding Agency: Ortho-McNeil Janssen Scientific Affairs
Award Amount: $700,713
Dates: 12/11/2007 - 12/31/2009

The CART program is a crime prevention program aimed at “at-risk” youth and their parents. The curriculum, entitled “Life Puzzles” has been developed by Ann Kramer, Ed.S., LMHC and is a practical model for designing a responsible life. This is a six-week program for children and their parents and information will be collected at baseline, posttest, and at three-month follow-up.

Principal Investigator: Kathleen Moore, PhD
Co-PI: M. Scott Young, PhD
Funding Agency: Eckerd Family Foundation
Award Amount: $20,000
Dates: 10/01/2003 - 04/30/2005

Faculty from the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy and the Department of Criminology at USF are collaborating with researchers at Temple University on a five-year grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to establish the Pennsylvania Research Center through a cooperative agreement under NIDA’s Criminal Justice Drug Treatment Studies (CJDATS-2) program. The Research Center is helping to conduct multi-site studies examining the implementation of evidence-based practices related to assessment and treatment of drug abuse in criminal justice settings. Research takes place in drug courts, jails, prisons, juvenile justice facilities, and community corrections settings. The Research Center is engaging an highly experienced and accomplished research team and numerous agency partners in Florida and Pennsylvania to test an empirically grounded conceptual model for implementation research.  The project is expected to identify organizational factors that influence the use of evidence-based substance abuse assessment and treatment practices.

Principal Investigator: Roger H. Peters, PhD
Non MHLP PI: Richard Dembo
Funding Agency: National Institutes of Health
Award Amount: $598,207
Dates: 04/01/2009 - 03/31/2014

The Kentucky CAN (Communities and Networks) HEAL (Helping End Addiction Longterm) [KCH] study is a large-scale, community intervention project submitted in response to the HEALing Communities request for proposals to “test the immediate impact of implementing an integrated set of evidence-based interventions” with the aim of reducing opioid overdose deaths by 40% in three years. Dr. McGladrey will be responsible for designing and managing standard operating procedures for implementation of evidence-based practices in criminal justice settings and conduct of criminal justice related research activities. Expected results include successful implementation of evidence-based practices prioritized by HCS KY coalitions for criminal justice agencies within study timelines and development of scientific papers from research activities.

Principal Investigator:  Margaret McGladrey, PhD
Funding Agency:  National Institutes of Health / University of Kentucky Research Foundation

Through this project FMHI staff in the PSRDC conduct analysis of Medicaid and DCF data for the Florida Council for Community Mental Health in efforts to answer important questions about how the state's mental health and substance abuse system is functioning. The substance of the analysis is determined jointly by FMHI and the Council and incorporated into quarterly analysis plans agreed to by the parties.

Principal Investigator: Robert Constantine, PhD
Award Amount: $57,383
Dates: 07/18/2005 - 07/17/2007

This contract provides pre-service training, certification, in-service training, and ongoing professional development/support for child protection professionals.

Principal Investigator: Laurie Cunningham, MS
Funding Agency: FLA Department of Children and Families Central Region
Award Amount: $655,466
Dates: 07/01/2013 - 06/01/2014

FMHI Department of Mental Health Law and Policy provides field instruction and mentoring services to child welfare protective investigators in DCF Circuit 20.

Principal Investigator: Laurie Cunningham, MS
Funding Agency: Department of Children and Families
Award Amount: $24,999
Dates: 04/16/2008 - 06/30/2008

This is a multi-year contract that provides pre-service training for Department of Children and Families protective investigators in Circuits 5 and 8 (Citrus, Hernando, Lake, Marion, Sumter, Marion, Baker, Union, Bradford, Gilchrist, Levy, and Alachua counties.)   Three full time trainers support this contract.

Principal Investigator: Laurie Cunningham, MS
Funding Agency: Florida Dept of Children and Families (DCF)
Award Amount: $259,261
Dates: 07/01/2008 - 06/30/2011

FMHI provides training for District 13 Child Welfare workers.

Principal Investigator: Laurie Cunningham, MS
Funding Agency: Florida Department of Children and Families
Award Amount: $256,948
Dates: 07/01/2007 - 06/30/2008
Website: Child Welfare Training Academy

University of South Florida partnered with the Department of Veterans Affairs to offer GPD providers an opportunity to revise their program designs using a Low Demand/Harm Reduction model to better accommodate chronically homeless Veterans with substance use and/or mental health disorders who were unsuccessful with traditional housing programs. Low demand programs do not place sobriety or treatment participation requirements on residents for admission to and continued stay in the programs, but they expect residents to make steps towards securing permanent housing solutions. Minor infractions (e.g., curfew) are not typically grounds for dismissal from Low Demand programs, though such instances are used as opportunities to engage Veterans. Case management and motivational interviewing strategies are used to help engage residents over time. Under the direction of Dr. Scott Young (Principal Investigator) and Mr. Paul Smits (Senior Policy Analyst) this project will design, implement, evaluate, refine, and provide technical assistance to GPD housing programs that are converting all or a portion of their beds to a Low Demand model.

Principal Investigator: M. Scott Young, PhD
Funding Agency: Department of Veteran Affairs
Award Amount: $404,046
Dates: 08/18/2014 - 08/17/2021

The HCSO, SA's Office, and Tampa Crossroads have proposed to initiate an enforcement-prosecution-treatment collaboration program to make the roads of this county safer for everyone. The HCSO will increase its DUI enforcement activities with saturation patrols once a week. The prosecution component entails the hiring of a DUI prosecutor in the hopes of prosecuting more DUI cases. The treatment component will serve 100 repeat DUI offenders and the program will seek to change the client's way of thinking, from criminal thinking patterns to living responsibly in all aspects of life.

MHLP ROLE
Project Evaluator and responsible for the overall evaluation of the three agencies and activities involved to reduce drinking and driving.

Principal Investigator: M. Scott Young, PhD
Co-PI: Kathleen Moore, PhD
Funding Agency: Byrne Memorial Law Enforcement Trust Fund Grant
Award Amount: $25,000
Dates: 10/01/2004 - 09/30/2008

Principal Investigator:  Kathleen Moore, PhD
Funding Agency: DACCO Behavioral Health, Inc.

To provide Child welfare Pre-Service Training and Certification Preparation services to child welfare services staff employed by Case Management, Licensing and Adoptions Providers in Department of Children and Families Circuits 6 and 13. Work in collaboration with Eckerd, Case Management, Licensing, and Adoption Providers to ensure certification candidates employed 12 consecutive months from posttest date obtain certification by meeting requirements established by the Department and a third party credentialing entity.

Principal Investigator: Laurie Cunningham, MS
Dates: 07/01/2008 - 09/30/2014

This intervention conducts a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of remote motivational enhancement (RME) sessions on post-detox engagement in buprenorphine (BUP) treatment with daily dosing. This study will generate new knowledge about effective ways to prevent overdose and engage patients in BUP treatment.

Principal Investigator:  Kathleen Moore, PhD
Funding Agency: Department of Health and Human Services / Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

This study is designed to determine the effectiveness of the Self- Assessment/ Planning Tool for Implementing Recovery-Oriented Mental Health Services (SAPT) in supporting positive consumer outcomes, as defined by the Recovery Oriented System Indicator (ROSI). Vendor proposes to make the SAPT and ROSI evaluation surveys available to select Florida mental health service provider agencies that have billed the Agency for psychosocial rehabilitation services. The SAPT was developed in response to a two-part study sponsored by the Agency to examine the delivery of rehabilitative mental health services described in the Community Health Services Coverage and Limitations Handbook (Agency for Health Care Administration, 2004), which determined that service provider agencies would benefit from a tool that establishes a common framework for guiding the planning and implementation of recovery-oriented services. These findings helped to inform the development of the SAPT and a pilot study that was conducted with five agencies in 2008-2009. This evaluation will specifically determine the items in the SAPT that are viewed by consumers as most associated with providing effective recovery-oriented services, establish the internal consistency (reliability) of each scale in the SAPT and ROSI, and establish criterion validity of the SAPT when using the ROSI as the gold standard. The SAPT survey and implementation guide will be revised based on the findings.  In addition, policy and practice recommendations for ongoing implementation of the SAPT and ROSI will be provided.

Principal Investigator: James Winarski, MSW
Dates: 07/01/2009 - 06/30/2010

Late life depression is prevalent among low-income older adults, and is associated with reduced quality of life, and increased morbidity and mortality. Despite effective treatments for depression among older adults, few seek mental health services, engage in treatment and stay in treatment for the prescribed length of time. Many older adults express a preference for psychotherapy; however, when older adults receive a referral to mental health care they are not likely to make an appointment for treatment, suggesting that barriers exist which deters older adults from initiating and engaging in their preferred treatment. Stigma is a major public health concern, has been identified as a significant psychological barrier to mental health service utilization and predicts treatment discontinuation among older adults with depression. The proposed project involves the development of a stigma reduction intervention for older adults (aged 65+) with depression to enhance their engagement and retention in an evidence-based multi-session psychosocial treatment. The proposed intervention contains two components, a novel engagement intervention provided by Peer Educators followed by an enhanced course of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The overall objective of the proposed intervention is to develop an integrated intervention strategy that reduces significant barriers to treatment engagement and retention, is aligned with the cultural values of older ethnic minorities, can be sustained in the community and extends the benefit of an evidence-based practice by enhancing the ability to reach those most in need. It is hypothesized that the proposed engagement intervention integrated with an enhanced course of CBT will (1) reduce internalized stigma associated with receiving treatment, (2) improve treatment engagement and retention for older adults with depression, and (3) decrease depressive symptoms.

PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: New strategies are needed to successfully engage and treat disadvantaged older adults suffering from depression. The proposed project will lead to the development of an integrated intervention strategy (i.e. an engagement intervention provided by Peer Educators, followed by an enhanced course of cognitive behavioral therapy) that reduces significant barriers to treatment engagement and retention, is aligned with the preferences and cultural values of disadvantaged older adults, can be sustained in community-based settings and extends the benefit of an evidence-based practice by reaching those most in need.

Principal Investigator: Kyaien Conner, PhD
Funding Agency: NIH-HIMH
Dates: 09/01/2013 - 03/31/2015

Through a training grant funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), faculty have developed, implemented, and evaluated an intensive four-day training course focusing on ethical and legal issues that arise when vulnerable populations, particularly people with severe mental disabilities, are used as research subjects

Principal Investigator: Paul Stiles, JD, PhD
Award Amount: $409,810
Dates: 09/30/2003 - 07/31/2007

FMHI will perform evaluation & outcomes analyses on the AHCA Evaluating Medicaid Reform in Florida contract with University of Florida through an amendment to that contract. FMHI will be subcontracting with University of Florida

Principal Investigator: John Robst, PhD
Funding Agency: Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA)
Award Amount: $59,110
Dates: 07/28/2008 - 06/30/2010

With funding from Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), faculty Institute-wide have participated in the evaluation of an important expansion of Medicaid managed care to cover mental health services, including enrollees with disabilities. In collaboration with the Policy and Services Research Data Center (PSRDC), faculty engage in multiple studies that include qualitative implementation analysis, administrative data analysis, and a population-based mail survey of prepaid mental health plans; examination of racial and ethnic disparities in health outcomes; and examination of special targeted issues that have yielded important findings for researchers and policy makers in Florida and nationally.

Principal Investigator: Roger Boothroyd, PhD
Award Amount: $1,383,494
Dates: 07/01/2008 - 06/30/2009

This study provides residential, intensive outpatient, and outpatient treatment utilizing the evidence-based models “Nurturing Parents” and “Seeking Safety” to substance-abusing parents in child welfare. The goal of the program is to engage parents in treatment relationships, ultimately becoming substance free and having better parenting skills.

Principal Investigator:  Kathleen Moore, PhD, 13th Judicial Court Hillsborough County
Funding Agency:  SAMHSA, CSAT 

To provide residential and outpatient treatment utilizing two evidence-based models (i.e., trauma-informed care and Nurturing Parents) to substance-abusing parents in the child welfare system. The goal of the program is to engage these parents into continuous treatment relationships, ultimately becoming substance free and having skills to become better parents.

Funding Agency: SAMHSA, CSAT
Award Amount: $102,000
Dates: 10/01/2012 - 09/30/2015

The purpose of the Veteran Justice Outreach Initiative (VJO) initiative is to avoid the unnecessary criminalization of mental illness and extended incarceration among Veterans by ensuring that eligible justice-involved Veterans have timely access to VHA mental health and substance abuse services when clinically indicated, and other VA services and benefits as appropriate.

VA is requiring justice-focused activity at the medical center level.  VA Medical Centers have been strongly encouraged to develop working relationships with the court system and local law enforcement and must now provide outreach to justice-involved Veterans in the communities they serve.

Each VA medical center has been asked to designate a facility-based Veterans’ Justice Outreach Specialist, responsible for direct outreach, assessment, and case management for justice-involved Veterans in local courts and jails, and liaison with local justice system partners.

Principal Investigator: Colleen Clark, PhD
Affiliated Research Faculty / Staff: Annette Christy, PhD
Funding Agency: SAMHSA
Award Amount: $390,000
Dates: 10/02/2009 - 09/30/2014

This project is designing, implementing, evaluating, refining, and providing technical assistance to Safe Haven Housing Programs funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Safe Havens utilize a community-based, early recovery model of supportive housing and rely on harm reduction practices to serve hard-to-reach and hard-to-engage chronically homeless Veterans with severe mental illness and/or substance use disorders. Safe Havens operate 24hr/7 days a week and do not require sobriety or compliance with treatment for admission to or continued stay in the program. Safe Haven residents are expected to transition within a six-month period to permanent supported housing. Minor infractions (e.g., curfew) are not typically grounds for dismissal from Low Demand programs, though such instances are used as opportunities to engage Veterans.

Principal Investigator: M. Scott Young, PhD
Funding Agency: Department of Veteran Affairs
Award Amount: $174,487
Dates: 01/01/2010 - 07/31/2014

To provide outpatient treatment utilizing two evidence-based models (i.e., CBT-MET and Seeking Safety) to young adult male and female offenders (18 to 26 years old) involved in drug court whose primary drug of choice is prescription drugs. The goal of the program is to engage these clients into continuous treatment relationships, ultimately becoming substance free, and no criminal recidivism.

Principal Investigator: Kathleen Moore, PhD
Co-PI: M. Scott Young, PhD
Funding Agency: SAMHSA, CSAT
Award Amount: $105,000
Dates: 10/01/2012 - 09/30/2015

In partnership with University of South Florida, the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) was awarded a three-year SMART Policing Initiative (SPI) grant titled “The Chronic Consumer Mitigation Project” totaling $635,241 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). Drs. Scott Young (Principal Investigator) and Beom Lee (Co-Principal Investigator) received $132,401 to serve as the Research Partners and independently evaluate the program’s effectiveness. This project will provide individualized mental health and support services to help reduce recidivism among offenders with repeated incarcerations and multiple involuntary commitments. PCSO will develop and deploy a mental health unit that includes Navigators and deputies who have behavioral health expertise. The deputies will be in plainclothes and outfitted with unmarked vehicles to reduce the stigma associated with law enforcement contact. Navigators will regularly review PCSO calls for service and reports to identify appropriate cases for the mental health unit. Navigators will also provide intensive case management to identified participants to help optimize their access to mental and behavioral health services, and to help reduce their subsequent contacts with law enforcement.

Principal Investigator: M. Scott Young, PhD
Co-PI: Beom S. Lee, PhD
Funding Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), US Department of Justice (DOJ)
Award Amount: $132,401
Dates: 10/01/2015 - 09/30/2018

This research evaluates Florida Medicaid Behavioral Pharmacy Practice by Racial/Ethnic Minorities across the lifespan.

Principal Investigator: Marion Becker, RN, PhD
Award Amount: $50,535
Dates: 07/01/2005 - 07/01/2006

To provide client outcome (baseline and 6-month follow-up) and process evaluation for homeless individuals with a history of public drunkenness. The program will implement a Critical Time Intervention (CTI), an evidence-based practice that serves to move people quickly from the streets, jails, or temporary shelter into housing.

Funding Agency: SAMHSA, CSAT
Award Amount: $350,000
Dates: 09/01/2010 - 08/31/2015

In partnership with University of South Florida, Meridian Behavioral Healthcare, Inc. was awarded a Supportive Services for Veterans and their Families (SSVF) grant from the Veterans Administration to offer assistance to Veterans and their family members who are homeless or at risk for homelessness. Drs. Scott Young (Principal Investigator) and Colleen Clark (Co-Principal Investigator) received $118,474 to evaluate the program’s effectiveness. SSVF participants are offered counseling, financial, and/or legal assistance to help prevent homelessness and support rapid re-housing, with the goal being for them to obtain or maintain permanent housing stability. USF is conducting phone interviews to evaluate SSVF service recipients’ housing stability.

Principal Investigator: M. Scott Young, PhD
Co-PI: Colleen Clark, PhD
Funding Agency: Department of Veteran Affairs
Award Amount: $118,474
Dates: 10/01/2013 - 09/30/2017

This multi-year evaluation for the Florida Legislature examines the impact of new administrative and financing strategies for public behavioral health services in two demonstration sites (Pensacola and Ft. Myers). These strategies are designed to improve the integration of mental health and substance abuse services provided by the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) and Medicaid and to improve outcomes for people who use these services.

Funding Agency: Florida Legislature

FMHI will conduct this formative evaluation of NEFAN that will include: (1) timeliness of service delivery, (2) treatment and cost effectiveness, and (3) consumer satisfaction. Additionally, the key informant interviews will address: (1) implementation of the community-based system of care, (2) policy and administrative issues, (3) financial considerations, (4) relationships between providers involved in the network, (5) obstacles to successful operations and efforts to overcome these barriers, and (6) the role of the family intervention specialists within the network.

Principal Investigator: Kathleen Moore, PhD
Funding Agency: Northeast Florida Addiction Network
Dates: 01/01/2005 - 12/31/2006

Staff from the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy at the University of South Florida will conduct an evaluation of Sarasota County's Mental Health Court (MHC) and Juvenile Assessment Center (JAC) to help determine how effectively the programs have been in reducing recidivism and providing access to treatment for program participants.  Several key activities will be conducted as part of the process evaluation. These include: (1) interviews with key personnel from the MHC and the JAC, (2) a review of key documents related to MHC and the JAC, and (3) analysis of Medicaid, IDS, Baker Act, Department of Juvenile Justice, and Department of Law Enforcement arrest data.

Principal Investigator: John Petrila, JD, LLM
Funding Agency: Sarasota County Health Department
Award Amount: $48,000
Dates: 04/01/2010 - 09/30/2010

Pre-service training and certification for new hired DCF and FFN staff.

Principal Investigator: John Mullins, BA
Funding Agency: Lakeview Center - Baptist Health Care
Award Amount: $109,367
Dates: 03/01/2006 - 06/30/2006