WITNESS FOR WELLNESS :P RELIMINARY FINDINGS FROM A COMMUNITY-ACADEMIC PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH MENTAL HEALTH INITIATIVE

Quality improvement programs promoting depression screening and appropriate treat- ment can significantly reduce racial and ethnic disparities in mental-health care and out- comes. However, promoting the adoption of quality-improvement strategies requires more than the simple knowledge of their potential benefits. To better understand depression issues in racial and ethnic minority communi- ties and to discover, refine, and promote the adoption of evidence-based interventions in these communities, a collaborative academic- community participatory partnership was de- veloped and introduced through a community- based depression conference. This partnership was based on the community-influenced model used by Healthy African-American Families, a community-based agency in south Los Angeles, and the Partners in Care model developed at the UCLA/RAND NIMH Health Services Research Center. The integrated model is described in this paper as well as the activities and preliminary results based on multimethod program evaluation techniques. We found that combining the two models was feasible. Significant improvements in depres- sion identification, knowledge about treatment options, and availability of treatment providers were observed among conference participants. In addition, the conference reinforced in the participants the importance of community mobilization for addressing depression and mental health issues in the community. Al- though the project is relatively new and ongoing, already substantial gains in commu- nity activities in the area of depression have been observed. In addition, new applications of this integrated model are underway in the areas of diabetes and substance abuse. Con- tinued monitoring of this project should help refine the model as well as assist in the identification of process and outcome mea- sures for such efforts. (Ethn Dis. 2006;16(suppl 1):S1-18-S1-34)