Project Summary
Background: Morbidity and mortality rates of people with serious mental illness (SMI) are much worse than those of their same-age cohort such that the former may die 10 to 15 years earlier. Three barriers contribute to their poor health and wellness: increased difficulty in accessing care as a result of an insufficient and fragmented healthcare system; being vulnerable to life consequences such as low socioeconomic status, vulnerability to crime, homelessness; exposure to disproportionately high modifiable health risks including poor diet, smoking, and high stress.
Proposed Solution to the Problem: The project team’s proposed solution is a multipronged dissemination of PCORI-supported comparative effectiveness research (CER) on lay services that address the health and wellness goals of patients with SMI in the existing healthcare system. Lay interventions are services delivered by lay providers (i.e., community health workers and patient navigators) employing a shared decision making approach with a focus on illness self-management skills training and in-the-field support.
Objectives: The team aims to disseminate PCORI-funded CER findings for lay interventions to reach stakeholders across the country through a combination of in-person and online dissemination to four targeted stakeholders: patients, lay intervention providers, and professional providers and administrators.
Activities: The dissemination project will be led by Chicago Health Disparities Center (CHDC) and will be supported by partnered leadership with the International Association of Peer Supporters (iNAPS). A dissemination team (DT) will be convened to guide the development and evaluation of the project. A speakers’ bureau will be recruited and trained to carry out dissemination efforts.
Patient and Stakeholder Engagement Plan: Stakeholder participation in the project will occur in two forms: DT and speakers’ bureau. Under the guidance of project leaders, a DT comprised of six people with lived experience of SMI and two professional providers of integrated care will be responsible for developing materials, training, implementing dissemination, and evaluating its impact. The DT will also inform the selection, training, and mentoring of six speakers’ bureau members who will assist with dissemination efforts throughout series activities including in-person presentations, webinars, and online trainings.
Outcomes and Outputs: The project will produce:
- 50 real-time presentations across the United States (i.e., face-to-face webinars, online training, etc.)
- Engagement of over 1,000 stakeholders
- A dissemination portfolio (i.e., presentation slides, training materials, handouts, web page, and a summary of curricula)
- A cadre of trained and mentored speakers, who are also certified as PCORI Ambassadors
- An evaluation of dissemination efforts (outcomes, fidelity, feasibility, and acceptability), which will inform future dissemination projects
Project Collaborators: CHDC will collaborate with consulting partners at the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association (PRA), the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD), and the National Council on Behavioral Health (NCBH) on this project.