SAMHSA Evaluation Team

Title of Project: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Evaluation Team

Principle Investigator (PI) and Lead Evaluators:

• Mary Beth Dunkenberger, PI/Lead Evaluator (NRVCS CCBHC and MRCS CCBHC/IA, MRCS CMHC)
• Liz Allen, Lead Evaluator, Data Manager and Analyst and Grant Compliancy Specialist (NRVCS CCBHC IA)

Co-Investigators:

• Laura York, SPARS and Community Needs Assessment (CNA) Specialist
• David Moore, Sampling and Access Specialist

Key Community Partners:

• Mount Rogers Community Services (MRCS)
• New River Valley Community Services (NRVCS)

Description of Project: 

The SAMHSA Evaluation Team at IPG has provided grant performance evaluation and outcome assessments, data management and analyses of National Outcomes (NOMs) data, as well as technical assistance services on several SAMHSA funded grants for two southwest Virginia mental health agencies: Mount Rogers Community Services (MRCS) headquartered in Wytheville, VA, and the New River Valley Community Services (NRVCS) clinics in Blacksburg and Radford, VA. Additionally, the team has conducted Community Needs Assessments (CNAs) for each locality within the two service areas. The CNAs are required every three years for agencies to qualify as a CCBHC. The grants include:

• NRVCS Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) (2018-2020), which provided funding for expansion of mental health and substance use services to un- and under-insured youth and adults.
• MRCS CCBHC and NRVCS CCBHC Expansion Grants (2020-2023), which provided funding to maintain and improve upon expanded service capacity of mental health and substance use services to un- and under-insured youth and adults.
• MRCS Community Mental Health Centers (CMHC) (2021-2023), to enable community mental health centers to support and restore the delivery of clinical services that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
• MRCS CCBHC-Improvement and Advancement (IA) and NRVCS CCBHC-IA (2022-2026), to strengthen and increase the effectiveness of the CCBHCs.

Project Goals:

The purpose of these grants is to expand services to adults with serious mental illness, substance use disorders (SUD) or co-occurring disorders (COD); and children with serious emotional disturbances. MRCS and NRVCS are some of the key service providers in the region who can treat these vulnerable populations. The IPG evaluation team performs the important function of monitoring intake and follow-up service utilization and compliance rates, and has provided technical assistance and innovative data collection strategies and analyses in an ever-evolving treatment and fiscal context.