Seattle University Collaborative Projects - International Academy of ...

esearch rationale for and procedures to adapt and implement three low cost, evidence-basedpolicy initiatives will be reviewed: Efficient, safe integration of treatment and communitysupervision in drug related offenders; performance contracting to increase value from substanceabuse treatment; accessing new prevention funding to create effective school-basedprevention/intervention clinics.Advocacy Organizations’ Role in Better Linking Science and Public PolicyDavid Shern, Mental Health America, Alexandria, USA (DLSTampa@aol.com)Despite important advances in behavioural sciences during the last three decades, the translationof knowledge into policy and practice remains abysmally slow. Advocacy organizations holdpromise for helping to accelerate translation since they are interstitial between the researchcommunity and key implementation audiences. In this presentation we will explore the potentialfor better integrating advocacy and knowledge generation using examples drawn from the U.S.’oldest mental health advocacy organization, Mental Health America (MHA). The integration ofscience and practice to improve care was an essential part of the founding rationale of theorganization and this legacy continues. Advocacy organizations, like MHA, are well suited forthis integrative task. Many advocacy organizations have national presence as well as state andlocal chapters located throughout the nation that can facilitate dissemination and fostersuccessful implementation. Advocacy organizations are a communication hub that connects thegeneral public, primary consumers, services providers, and policy staff with the scientificcommunity. When effective linkages with the academic community facilitate actionabletranslation of science into practice, these channels can be used to build public support, consumerdemand, provider skills and policy/funding mechanisms to support improved populationbehavioural health. Funding these activities, however, remains a challenge. A greater emphasison dissemination/implementation on the part of the scientific community as well as creative,revenue producing partnerships may provide solutions to these infrastructure problems.Examples from recent MHA policy initiatives related to insurance parity and prevention sciencewill be used to illustrate the potential of improved linkages.What Gets Measured Is What Gets Done: How Data Drives Better Outcomes atthe Florida Department of Juvenile JusticeWansley Walters, Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, Tallahassee, Florida(wansley.walters@djj.state.fl.us)Under the leadership of Secretary Wansley Walters, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice(DJJ) has placed data-driven measurement and outcomes at the forefront of juvenile justicepolicy making. Florida is well known for its robust data gathering and analysis. DJJ collects,analyzes and publishes a multitude of variables and statistics for the public. The success rate for341