J & J Dartmouth Community Mental Health Program

Mission

The Johnson & Johnson - Dartmouth Community Mental Health Program is to increase access to evidence-based supported employment (SE) for adults with severe mental illness who are interested in improving their work lives. This national program systematically works with states to implement supported employment following the evidence-based guidelines, initially in a small number of sites (typically 3-4 community mental health centers) and expanding statewide over time. The program is administered in each participating state through the collaboration between the state mental health authority and the state vocational rehabilitation administration. Through the support of Johnson & Johnson Corporate Contribution, the Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center (PRC) oversees the Program and provides ongoing technical assistance and consultation on supported employment to the states.

Program Overview

The Johnson & Johnson - Dartmouth Community Mental Health Program began in 2001 with a small 3-site pilot for one year to demonstrate the feasibility of implementing evidence-based supported employment with close collaboration between mental health and vocational rehabilitation services. Building upon the success of the pilot, the program was subsequently instituted and has included ten states and the District of Columbia. The program consists of four one-year grants with technical assistance and is coordinated through the Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center. The first year includes building informed support for implementing supported employment services statewide in a sustainable way, creating a state-level supported employment steering committee, developing in-state technical assistance capacity, and carrying out a competitive site selection process to select 3-4 sites. Years 2-4 are devoted to implementing supported employment with high fidelity and developing plans to expand supported employment services statewide.

The Johnson & Johnson division of corporate contribution provides funds that are matched by the state departments of mental health and vocational rehabilitation. The states assume greater responsibility for funding over the four years. The Dartmouth supported employment team oversees the program and provides training for in-state trainers regarding technical assistance for implementing high fidelity supported employment. While direct funding from the program ends after four years, states continue to participate in the program through regular meetings, sharing outcome data, training and educational materials, and accessing ongoing technical assistance and consultation from the Dartmouth supported employment team.

Program Outcomes

After the first pilot year, six states and the District of Columbia participated in the first round of the program. Three additional states were selected for the second round. Each of the ten states and the District of Columbia established a minimum of 3 supported employment sites, and some states that have expanded to as many as 14 sites. States collect simple program-level employment data from each of the sites on a quarterly basis, which is analyzed and shared with the states. In the most recent quarter (July to September, 2008), 6578 people received supported employment services. Of those people, 45% worked in a competitive job. In the five years of data collection, the number of people served in supported employment has steadily increased and the percentage of people competitively employed has been consistently about 50%.

Core Principles of Evidence-Based Supported Employment

Research has helped to identify the core principles of Evidence-Based Supported Employment. These principles include:

Helping people diagnosed with severe mental illness find competitive jobs in the community that fit their individual needs and interests.
Fully integrating Mental Health Services and Vocational Rehabilitation Services.
Creating easy access to employment services when a consumer expresses an interest in employment; consumers are not required to complete work readiness or other vocational assessments before seeking employment in the community.
Providing employment services to all consumers interested in employment.
Designing goals and plans that are based on each individual's preferences, strengths, abilities, and experiences.
Providing employment supports that are individualized, flexible, and available for as long as necessary.
Assisting consumers and family members with benefits counseling.

Flowchart Description of Johnson & Johnson - Dartmouth Mental Health Program

What is an Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)?

An EBP is a practice model that has demonstrated effectiveness in helping people with severe mental illness to achieve their goals. EBPs have been evaluated by different researchers and in different community based settings.

For more information about EBPs, please visit our website or www.samhsa.gov

What People are Saying

"There has never been a time when we need each other more. Vocational Rehabilitation's sole reason is to get people back to work. To be successful in this situation, we need Mental Health's expertise. People want to work and we can't do it by ourselves."
— Barbara Hollis, Director of Program Development, South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department

"The only way you get well is by working. That's the only way. My job helps."
— Vernice, Consumer