CONSUMER-DRIVEN RECOVERY IN TRANSITION: EVALUATION OF CALIFORNIA DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS Evaluation of Two California Consumer-Driven Demonstration Programs The California Department of Mental Health (DMH) funded two demonstration projects that examined possible best practice models for helping clients who are living in Institutions of Mental Disease (IMD) to successfully live in the community. Merced and San Francisco Counties were selected to develop consumer-driven programs which would provide the necessary support to clients for recovery and to help them remain stable in the community. AHP was contracted by I.D.E.A. Consulting to conduct a multi-component evaluation of the first two years of these programs, using several different sources of data and perspectives, including state and local management information system (MIS) data on client demographics, service utilization, and cost of services; client and staff surveys and focus groups. The project demonstrated large, initial cost savings for clients discharged from IMDs into the alternatives programs in two California counties. Developing an intensive, consumer-focused recovery model was found to be effective in helping clients move from an IMD setting into the community and remain stable in an independent living situation through their first six months after leaving institutional care.
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