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The Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers' Association (PMHCA), partnering with Drexel University School of Medicine Behavioral Health Education, proposes to enhance, develop and deliver training for peer and recovery specialists. The training's intent is to increase diversion of people with behavioral health needs from the criminal justice system. The Forensic Peer Support training, Peer Support within the Criminal Justice System was implemented in 2011 for Certified Peer Specialists (CPS). CPS will be enhanced with trauma and trauma informed care information and a one-day training on trauma informed care for peer supporters will be created. The Forensic Peer Support (FPS) curriculum prepares CPS in how to establish forensic peer support in their communities and provides information about the justice system and sequential intercept model. People who will benefit are in recovery or seeking recovery from serious mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorder. Traumatic experiences are part of many of these individuals' life experiences and must be addressed to facilitate recovery and to divert them from involvement in the justice system. The one day training will build upon the introduction of trauma's effects, educating about trauma informed peer support to those involved in, or at risk of involvement in, any criminal justice intercept. These trainings will further develop the infrastructure of recovery oriented services and systems in Pennsylvania. This project will provide training opportunities for 40 peer supporters in the first year; 80 in year two, and 80 in year three for a total of at least 200.

This project serves to support reentry and community integration of criminal justice-involved consumers through the development of a forensic peer specialist model in Wisconsin. Using Participatory Decision-Making, the Grassroots Empowerment Project (GEP) will facilitate monthly meetings with individuals from multiple stakeholder groups to develop a model for forensic peer support. GEP will then train criminal justice-involved consumers and support them as they provide peer support. GEP will target three areas of the state to bring stakeholders, criminal justice-involved consumers, families, advocates, corrections staff, and law enforcement together to discuss the needs of criminal justice-involved consumers returning to communities and living in institutions. These regional groups will collaborate to establish guidelines and requirements for criminal justice-involved consumers to become forensic peer specialists. These groups will also conceptualize what forensic peer support looks like in WI. GEP anticipates that the trained forensic peer specialists will be employed and working in their capacities during the third year of the grant. GEP will also continue Empowerment Days for 100 consumers to meet with policymakers and discuss mental health systems improvements, and communicate with members through social media, listserv, and quarterly newsletter.

Peer-Run Organizations Alliance Project (PRO AP) in collaboration with Washington's Office of Consumer Partnerships will bring together three independent consumer-led organizations primarily providing direct services that support individuals having "serious mental illness" that are Medicaid enrollees meeting Washington's "access to care" criteria, and the uninsured or underinsured as well. The Washington Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DBHR) reports more than 130,000 individuals receiving state funded outpatient and crisis services. These three geographically diverse organizations have formed an alliance and through this grant will build a sustainable statewide infrastructure to support the further development of strong peer support services and leaders across Washington to serve this population more effectively. PRO AP will draw peers together from every region in the state interested in making changes to policies that better serve the healing, recovery, and wellness needs of individuals. In times of constant change driven by budgets and reforms, recovery supports and services get overlooked and this grant will support evaluating and initiating changes to statewide and regional policies through informed advocacy work. The coordination and implementation will directly involve 50-100 individuals over the grant period but policy or behavioral health practices changes have the potential of impacting-directly or indirectly-the population served by DBHR over the period of the grant. Finally, PRO AP will strengthen a motivated peer workforce and future leaders that are appropriately trained and continually supported in achieving success in an integrated health delivery system. It is estimated that 1000 individuals will be directly impact through trainings and technical assistance.

The Fresh Start Statewide Consumer Network will build on its strong advocacy for culturally and linguistically competent services to underserved populations by developing and promoting activities and trainings throughout Florida, educating and empowering peers, and building new infrastructure that will give priority to peer and provider collaboration. This project will allow for expansion of activities throughout the State of Florida to increase access awareness and accessibility of individualized services. The proposed strategies and interventions will target under-represented populations of individuals with serious mental illness, including communities of color, young adults, the LGBQT community, with a continued focus on Veterans, victims of trauma, and individuals involved with the Court system, through outreach, advocacy for system transformation, partnership development, and promotion of the Wellness and Recovery model, adapted for each targeted consumer community. The WRAP self-management and recovery model will guide statewide infrastructure that will allow for trainings & consumer leadership while providing a set of recovery values and ethics for consumers, providers, and stakeholders.

SC SHARE's Peer Support Renewal Program (PSRP) will give new and improved focus, structure, purpose and support to the certified peer support program in the state of South Carolina. The SC SHARE PSRP will embody a powerful message of hope and experiential knowledge that will improve the overall delivery of peer driven services by improving the training of certified peer support specialists; developing cross training collaborations with our partner agencies; providing ongoing training to certified peer support specialists to enhance their leadership skills and service delivery; provide a formal mechanism (forum) of ongoing support, guidance and self-care for all peer; support specialists and develop a cutting edge training video that will be used as an educational tool to train peers, and all levels of behavioral health staff on the important roles and responsibilities of certified peer support specialists has in the workplace. SC SHARE's PSRP will serve the entire state of South Carolina. The PSRP will increase the number of peer support specialists in currently underserved areas of the state. SC SHARE, in partnership with key stakeholders, the SC Department of Mental Health and SC Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services, Federation of Families of SC, FAVOR Midlands, the SC NAMI chapter, will develop the infrastructure to enhance and support the statewide capacity for peer support services. SC SHARE's PSRP will educate peers in trauma informed care, co-occurring disorders, motivational interviewing, emotional CPR, (eCPR) intentional peer support, anger management, life skills, spirituality and culture, cultural sensitivity, the special needs of the veteran population, gender specific issues and Recovery for Life, our signature recovery education program.

Amistad, Inc. will continue to recruit and develop an active Statewide Consumer Network in Maine, made up especially of people working in Peer Services. The project will advocate not only for the continued expansion and integration of Peer Services into current health reform efforts, but will also advocate for standardization of Peer Services across service delivery settings, and widespread recognition of the value, effectiveness, and professional nature of Peer Services. The grant project will coordinate and partner with state government to implement this project, as well as with numerous provider and advocacy groups. Collaborators include the state Office of MaineCare Services, the Certification as an Intentional Peer Support Specialist (CIPSS) training program of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Mercy Hospital, and Maine Quality Counts, among others. As part of this project, Amistad, Inc. will create a Quality Assurance Council (QAC) to increase consumer participation, voice, and oversight of the grant project. Proposed activities of the project include training, education, networking opportunities, and information for peer service workers and for traditional providers who now must hire Peers; negotiate to insert governing language into state contracts that is consistent with best practices in Peer Services, and advocate for consumer concerns during a Health Care Reform process which thus far has been largely provider-driven.

The Colorado Mental Wellness Network's Statewide Recovery Support Services Project proposes to reach Coloradans with mental health and/or substance use disorders with tools and support for recovery. The Network plans to target underserved populations through its collaborative partnerships and advisory groups throughout Colorado. The primary goals that fulfill the mission of the organization are: 1) Individuals will be empowered to improve their overall health and wellness through action planning and self-care tools utilizing skills developed, 2) Community perceptions of mental illness will improve through advocacy efforts and collaboration, 3) Recovery-oriented integrated treatment will be promoted through a trauma-informed peer recovery coach workforce. These goals will be achieved through the statewide implementation of the Wellness Recovery Action Plan, Peer Recovery Coach Training, Wellness and Recovery Support Groups and advocacy work.

The Tennessee Mental Health Consumers' Association (TMHCA) proposes a peer-run Peer Engagement Project in Tennessee's Regional Mental Health Institutes (RMHIs) to increase consumer and family voice and participation in planning, policies, and service delivery; increase patients' access to peer support services; and increase RMHI staff's knowledge and understanding of trauma-informed care as well as improve self-care for staff members. Through partnership and collaboration with the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS), the Peer Engagement Project will encompass a deliberate, detailed strategy to fulfill its goals/objectives: (1) increase consumer and family voice and participation in the planning, policies, and service delivery of the RMHIs by adding consumer and family representatives to the RMHI Board of Trustees, by establishing a peer-led RMHI Review Committee, and by adding consumer and family representation at Regional Partnership Provider meetings; (2) increase patients' access to peer support services and promote consumer skill development and leadership opportunities by providing peer support groups; recovery education, such as the Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP); and peer bridger services to patients in the RMHIs; and (3) increase RMHI staff members' knowledge and understanding of trauma-informed care and improve self-care for staff members, who may have witnessed or experienced trauma on the job, by providing peer-led trainings in trauma-informed care, WRAP classes to any interested RMHI staff members, and recovery story presentations from veteran Certified Peer Recovery Specialists.

Alaska Peer Support Consortium (AKPSC) intends to expand the Statewide Consumer Network of peers to rural areas of Alaska and develop local leaders who will work to transform the mental health system by: (a) Conducting outreach to establish contact with potential peers throughout the state, (b) Conducting Wellness Recovery Action Plan Trainings in rural areas in the 5 regions of the state, (c) Develop local stakeholder partnerships to promote peer involvement in local service delivery and policy making, (d) Conducting 1 WRAP Facilitator Training for up to 20 consumer leaders from around the state, and (e) Providing ongoing education and technical assistance to consumers/organizations that sponsor individuals seeking peer training, and other related policy stakeholders. The project goals are to (1) increase consumer participation, voice, and empowerment statewide; (2) emphasize and build consumer leadership within organizations and in the community; and (3) promote activities related to partnership development and peer support expansion.