Public-Academic Collaboration in the Application of Evidence-Based Practice in Texas Mental Health System Redesign

This article describes a public-academic collaboration between a state university research center and the Texas state mental health authority to design and evaluate a service package of psychosocial rehabilitation interventions. The project used a combination of evidence-based practice and community consensus as a tool for system change. The story of this effort and the new system that resulted is told through interviews with consumers, family members, and other advocates involved in the process, along with data from the state's management information system and reports prepared for the federal Mental Health Block Grant's Uniform Reporting System. Lessons learned about university-community partnerships are discussed in light of the current emphasis on public mental health system transformation.