Evaluation of Year One of the Washtenaw County LEADD Initiative: Anecdotes from those Closest to the Work – Jadrienne J. Horton In collaboration with the Washtenaw County LEADD initiative, The Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT) at the University of Michigan is conducting a 3-year evaluation of the Washtenaw County LEADD pilot. In October 2021, Washtenaw County launched the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion and Deflection (LEADD) begin piloting a pre-booking diversion initiative that diverts individuals with behavioral health disorders (BHD) and those suspected of being engaged in low-level criminal behavior away from the criminal justice system and towards community-based support and services. The Washtenaw County Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion and Deflection (LEADD) Initiative models the original evidence-based Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program in King County ‘s Settle, Washington. The LEADD initiative represents a collaboration between the Washtenaw County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO), Washtenaw County Community Mental Health (WCCMH), Washtenaw County Public Defender’s Office (WCPD), Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office (WCPO), and Ypsilanti Township Prosecutor (McLain and Winters Law Firm). In accessing the first year of implementation, LEADD collaborators aim to understand any barriers, learnings, and adaptations. To understand the aim of the project, those closest to the work (LEADD case managers and deputies) participated in semi-structured interviews. The findings from these interviews were triangulated with a SWOT analysis activity conducted by LEADD’s Program Coordinator. This information will be used to improve the quality of the pilot over time and to inform the expansion of LEADD throughout Washtenaw County.
Centering CREE in analyzing how shifting organizational cultural impacts progress towards anti-racist goals - Jeydelyn Martinez
Introduction: By 2030, FoodCorps’ goal is that every child has access to food education and nourishing food in schools, and in order to achieve this goal, they must center equity, diversity, and inclusion in all that they do (FoodCorps, 2022). 2023 was the first time an all-staff retreat was held in person since 2019, and at this retreat, the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) team reviewed where the organization has made progress towards becoming a more “Just” FoodCorps and presented the three-year anti-racism strategy and theory of change during their equity day session. It was also officially announced that FoodCorps was a justice and anti-racist organization, rather than solely equity-based. Thus, an evaluation was co-created with the FoodCorps EDI and Evaluation sub-team to collect data day from equity day, to analyze how shifting organizational culture impacts progress towards anti-racist goals.
Results: To better analyze the current state of FoodCorps organizational culture and its impact on antiracist goals, the FoodCorps Evaluation sub-team in collaboration with the EDI team collected quantitative and qualitative data from individual and group activities completed by staff at the retreat’s equity day session. Findings included that creating intentional work time and space while providing responsive resources and training to staff and stakeholders to live into the strategy's pillars and activities would help propel staff and the organization forward to achieve the anti-racist goals. Identified recommendations included the EDI and the Evaluation sub-team at FoodCorps collaborating on developing short-term indicators of progress on the anti-racism strategy & development of a rubric to measure long-term progress on the anti-racism strategy.
Stories Told of Institutionalization and Sustainability: Date Gathering at a Federal Agency – Jacques P. Lesure The Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program is an alliance-based program. The overall goal of the program is to assist universities and colleges in diversifying the nation's science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce by increasing the number of STEM baccalaureate and graduate degrees awarded to populations historically underrepresented in these disciplines: African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and Native Pacific Islanders. Overall, the LSAMP program provides funding to alliances that implement comprehensive, evidence-based, innovative, and sustained strategies that ultimately result in the graduation of well-prepared, highly-qualified students from underrepresented minority groups who pursue graduate studies or careers in STEM. This project consisted of thematic analysis of STEM Pathway and Research Alliance proposals in order to better understand how grantees engage the concept of institutionalization and sustainability. The selection sample was limited to alliances that were considered long-standing based on how long they’ve been funded. Findings suggest that institutions frame this differently, based on access to resources, leadership, departmental infrastructures, histories, and priorities. Thus, in order to better understand how institutionalization and sustainability is worked toward, there must be a culturally relevant, responsive and equitable definition. In doing so, grantees can better understand expectations and also express their diverse needs.
Culturally Responsive Evaluation (CRE) Analysis of a California County Behavioral Health Needs Assessment – Elia Bueno
Introduction: The Mental Health Services Act (MHSA), a November 2004 ballot initiative, expanded and transformed California’s behavioral health system to better serve individuals with mental health issues and their families. As part of an MHSA annual update and three-year plan for the 2023-2024 Needs Assessment, California County Behavioral Health partnered with EVALCORP Research & Consulting to conduct a series of 12 focus groups to determine the community’s needs, barriers, strengths, and recommendations.
Results: To better capture the mental health needs of the county, Evalcorp collected data from 90 adult and youth respondents with diverse identities (i.e., race/ethnicity, LGBTQA+) and experiences (e.g., unhoused, rural residents) residing in a small California County. Findings included three broader themes that included priority mental health needs, barriers to access, as well as causes and contributors. Identified recommendations included expansion or improvement of specific support services and improvement of community outreach efforts.
When Culturally Responsive Evaluations Looks Different: Empowering Participants in Mapping Their Stories of Challenges and Change – Cecelia Samuels During the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, states within the US received funding to aid in the mitigation of the spread of the COVID virus. In many states these funding was targeted towards virus control and preventions amongst high-risk and underserved communities specifically ethnic minority populations and rural communities. The present study presents the story of how the impact of these funds (Health Disparities Grant) was assessed in one state, which employed a community services-based approach to disbursement and utilization of these funds. Through a Culturally Responsive Evaluation (CRE) lens efforts made at using evaluation to move beyond collecting and assessing impact through empowering those who are being assessed to help define impact, while charting visual maps of how their actions impact their communities, will be explored. Using techniques such as ripple effects mapping, interviews and documents review the study will showcase what can happen when evaluators use their seat at the table to give voice to stakeholders without one.
