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In FY 2002, the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) announced the
availability of $5 million in funding for increasing service capacity for older
persons with mental health needs. Nine Targeted
Capacity Expansion (TCE)
grants totaling $3.6 million were made to help communities provide direct
services and to build the necessary infrastructure to support expanded services
for meeting the diverse mental health needs of older persons. One cooperative
agreement of $ 900,000 was awarded to implement the National Technical
Assistance Center Named the Positive Aging Resource Center (PARC), the overall
mission of the center is to improve the mental health of older adults by
providing assistance in the implementation and evaluation of innovative and
evidence-based practices to increase the quality of mental health services and
to expand access for all older adults including underserved, rural and
ethnically diverse persons and their families.
The PARC currently works with the nine TCE sites across the nation to develop a
systematic process for transferring knowledge about research, best practices,
and policies to assist in the development and implementation of
evidence-based, culturally competent, and financially sustainable service
programs
. In addition to working with the nine TCE sites, the PARC serves an audience
including health service agencies interested in developing and implementing
mental health service programs for older adults, health providers intending to
provide geriatric mental health services, older adults and their families from
diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and policy makers interested in
learning about mental health service issues related to aging
populations.
To encourage improvements in mental health service delivery that will lead to
measurable improvements in consumer outcomes, the PARC is a resource to mental
health programs, providers, and consumer groups, particularly in the following
areas:
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Evidence-based practice
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Sustainable infrastructure development
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Implementation process evaluation
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Treatment guidelines
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Instruments for screening
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Outcome evaluation
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Cultural competency
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Outreach strategies
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Integration of care
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Patient self-management
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Older adult education
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Family and caregiver education
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