Skip to main content
Log in

Implementing a system of care: Findings from the Fort Bragg Evaluation Project

  • Articles
  • Published:
The journal of mental health administration Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The Implementation Study of the Fort Bragg Evaluation documented how the Demonstration was executed and whether it met the expectations of the continuum of care philosophy upon which it was based. Based on the theory-driven and component approaches to program evaluation, a case study methodology was employed. First, the theories and assumptions about the Demonstration were explicated to derive a program model. Next, the program-as-implemented was compared to the program-as-planned. Barriers responsible for diluting full-scale implementation were documented. This study provides a comprehensive description of how the Demonstration was put into place and the evidence necessary to conclude that the Demonstration was executed with high fidelity, despite barriers, to provide an excellent test of the program theory.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Hargreaves WA, Shumway M: Effectivenss of services for the severely mentally ill. In: Taube CA, Mechanic D (Eds.):The Future of Mental Health Services Research. ADM 89-1600. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Rossi PH, Freeman HE:Evaluation: A Systematic Approach. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 1985.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Palumbo DJ, Oliverio A: Implementation theory and the theory-driven approach to validity.Evaluation and Program Planning 1989; 12:337–344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Chen H:Theory-Driven Evaluations. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Bickman L (Ed.):Using Program Theory in Evaluation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Brekke JS, Test MA: A model for measuring the implementation of community support programs: Results from three sites.Community Mental Health Journal 1992; 28:227–247.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Scheirer MA, Rezmovic EL: Measuring the degree of program implementation: A methodological review.Evaluation Review 1983; 7:599–633.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Rezmovic EL: Assessing treatment implementation amid the slings and arrows of reality.Evaluation Review 1984; 8:187–204.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Bickman L: Improving established statewide programs.Evaluation Review 1985; 9:189–208.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Chen H, Rossi PH: The theory-driven approach to validity.Evaluation and Program Planning 1987; 10: 95–103.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Yin RK:Case Study Research. Beverly Hills CA: Sage, 1984.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Yin RK:Applications of Case Study Research. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Bolland JM, Wilson JV:The Madison County Youth Services Network: The Final Report of the United Way Needs Assessment Project. Tuscaloosa, AL: Institute for Social Science Research, University of Alabama 1991.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Marsden PV: Network data and measurement.Annual Review of Sociology 1990; 16:435–463.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Morrissey JP: An interorganizational network approach to evaluating children’s mental health service systems. In: Bickman L, Rog D (Eds.):Evaluating Mental Health Services for Children. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1992, pp. 85–98.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Wasserman S, Faust K:Social Network Analysis: Methods and Applications, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Conrad KJ, Miller TQ: Measuring and testing program philosophy. In: Bickman L (Ed.):Using Program Theory in Evaluation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1987, pp. 19–42.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Scheirer MA: Program theory and implementation theory: Implications for evaluators. In Bickman L (Ed.):Using Program Theory in Evaluation. San Francisco: Jossy-Bass, 1987, pp. 59–76.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Behar L: Changing patterns of state responsibility: A case study in North Carolina.Journal of Clinical Child Psychology 1985; 14:188–195.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Stroul BA, Friedman RM:A System of Care for Severely Emotionally Disturbed Youth. Washington, DC: CASSP Technical Assistance Center at Georgetown University, 1986.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Heflinger CA: Measuring service system coordination in managed mental health care for children and youth.Evaluation and Program Planning, in press.

  22. Bickman L, Dokecki P: The for-profit delivery of mental health services.American Psychologist 1989; 44:1133–1137.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Kiesler CA, Simpkins CG:The Unnoticed Majority in Psychiatric Inpatient Care. New York: Plenum, 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Behar L: The North Carolina Willie M. Program: One model for services to multiple handicapped children. In: Stark JA, Menolascino FJ, Albarelli MH, Gray VC (Eds.):Mental Retardation and Mental Health: Classification, Diagnosis, Treatment, Services. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1988, pp. 416–429.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Mazmanian DA, Sabatier PA:Implementation and Public Policy Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman, 1983.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Additional information

This research was supported by the U.S. Army Health Services Command (DADA 10-89-C-0013) as a subcontract from the North Carolina Department of Human Resouces, Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Abuse Services, and a grant to Dr. Leonard Bickman (R01MH-46136-01) from the National Institute of Mental Health. This article is part of a special issue that focuses on the Fort Bragg Evaluation. These articles are best understood when read together. The articles are cross-referenced when it is deemed most appropriate.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Anne Heflinger, C. Implementing a system of care: Findings from the Fort Bragg Evaluation Project. The Journal of Mental Health Administration 23, 16–29 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02518640

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02518640

Keywords

Navigation