South By North Strategies, Ltd.

In December 2012, the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research, a nonprofit organization in Raleigh, released the first independent evaluation of a statewide initiative to provide crisis services to mental health patients in local hospitals across the state.  The state-funded initiative, which began in 2008, aims to build mental health crisis capacities in local communities through “three-way contracts” involving the state, local health management entities, and private and nonprofit hospitals.

The evaluation concluded that the program has succeeded in achieving many of its goals yet could benefit from certain administrative improvements. A summary of findings is available here.

John Quinterno of South by North Strategies, Ltd. conducted the basic evaluation. That research involved analyses of administrative data, semi-structured interviews with a dozen stakeholders throughout North Carolina, and the preparation of a detailed evaluation report that the North Carolina Center for Public Policy Research published in its journal, North Carolina Insight.