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Adoption of a Blended Training Curriculum for ACT in New York State
Helle Thorning1, Leslie Marino1, Pascale Jean-Noel1
1Dr. Thorning, Dr. Marino, Ms. Jean-Noel, Mr. Lopez, Dr. Covell, Ms. Chiang, and Dr. Dixon are with the Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York City. Dr. Myers, Mr. Ruderman, Ms. Haggerty, and Mr. Clark are with the New York State Office of Mental Health, Albany. Send correspondence to Dr. Marino (e-mail: marinol@nyspi.columbia.edu ). Fred C. Osher, M.D., and Marvin S. Swartz, M.D., are editors of this column.
Abstract:
Scant evidence exists in the literature for best practices in training assertive community treatment (ACT) teams to deliver highly effective services to consumers. This column describes a blended training curriculum, which includes both face-to-face and distance learning strategies, developed by the ACT Training Institute in New York State to meet the ongoing training needs of teams across New York State. Data on training uptake, which has steadily increased over time, are reported. The role of the state is crucial in driving adoption of training activities. The column also describes how the ACT Training Institute uses fidelity and outcome data to identify training needs.
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