Transformation Processes
According to the New Freedom Commission, in a transformed system:
- Excellent mental health care will be delivered
- Mental health care will be consumer and family driven
- Disparities in mental health services will be eliminated
- Early mental health screening, assessment, and referral to services will be common practice
To achieve these transformative goals, the process starts with having a plan for initiating and managing change. However, the real transformation process begins when innovations such as evidence-based programs start to be implemented in local provider agencies. The implementation activity at the practice level exposes aspects of organizations and systems that are hindering the process of achieving better outcomes for consumers using these innovations. Dealing with these non-supportive aspects in a constructive way at the policy and practice levels is the beginning of transformation. The people who are directly involved in these change processes learn new skills and acquire experience as they deal with one set of issues after another at policy and practice levels. They represent the beginning of a new state-based infrastructure that can sustain and improve the transformation process across human service systems and across time.
In this view, transformation is not a goal but a sustainable capacity for system change, a continuing process of reassessment and renewal focused on measurable improvement in consumer benefits.
