Center Faculty Associate Janet C. Frank was awarded a $400,000 grant by the state Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC) to assess progress made statewide in setting up a system of care for older adults with serious mental illness since the passage of California’s Mental Health Services Act (Proposition 63) in 2004. Frank will also identify methods to improve progress in this area.
"Research has shown that the proportion of older adults suffering with mental illness is higher than that of the general population, but that many who could benefit are not receiving treatment," said Frank.
As principal investigator of the two-year project, Frank will work with Research Scientist Kathryn Kietzman and other colleagues at the Center to gauge how well a sampling of counties have developed and used services tailored to meet the needs of the older adult population, including the unique needs of unserved and underserved diverse seniors. The project will also measure how well the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) has helped put in place or supported a system of care for older adults.
In order to bolster the State’s ability to promote improvements in the quality of services for older adults, Frank has assembled national experts to help develop indicators focused specifically on older adults with mental health issues. The Commission’s intention is to incorporate them into future MHSOAC data-strengthening efforts to monitor performance.
"The Commission looks forward to working with UCLA to assess statewide progress made in implementing a system of care for older adults with mental illness so that methods to further progress in this area can be identified," said Renay Bradley, Director of Research and Evaluation at the Commission.
About the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research
The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) is one of the nation’s leading health policy research centers and the premier source of health policy information for California. UCLA CHPR improves the public’s health through high quality, objective, and evidence-based research and data that informs effective policymaking. UCLA CHPR is the home of the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) and is part of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. For more information, visit healthpolicy.ucla.edu.