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From the MHA Field

Research Notes

In 2003, the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health called America’s attention to the need to transform our mental health system to one that is consumer-driven and recovery-oriented. As consumers and consumer-run organizations play an increasingly prominent role in revamping the system, innovative approaches to meaningful consumer involvement are emerging nationwide.

With support from NMHA’s National Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Center (NCSTAC), new consumer-run organizations are organizing all over the county, and many existing consumer groups are leading transformation initiatives in their communities. One such consumer-run nonprofit is the Albuquerque Drop- In Center in New Mexico.

The Albuquerque Drop-In Center (ADIC), which offers support and assistance to people with serious mental illnesses working toward recovery, has embarked on a three-year project to transform mental health services in Bernalillo County. With input from a variety of stakeholders, ADIC will soon conduct a comprehensive community assessment to identify the county’s existing service needs based on the recovery model. The assessment will include both quantitative and qualitative measures by including data collection, focus groups and dialogue groups.

ADIC will use the community assessment as the foundation for creating and implementing a strategic plan to transform the current fragmented mental health services system into a comprehensive holistic system of services that will support people in recovery. The project’s primary participants will be those in recovery and their families. The project will produce not only a transformed system of care in the Bernalillo County area but also a cohesive network of stakeholders that will work together to improve the mental health services system throughout New Mexico.

NCSTAC is proud to support groups like the Albuquerque Drop-In Center. For more information about technical assistance available to consumer-/peer-run organizations, visit www.ncstac.org.