Health and Health Education
Representative Projects
New York State Local Districts and Partnerships:
Safe Schools/Healthy Students Evaluation
Since 1999, the U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice have collaborated on the Safe Schools/Healthy Students (SS/HS) Initiative. SS/HS provides communities with federal funding to implement a coordinated plan of activities, curricula, programs, and services focused on creating safe school environments, promoting healthy development, and preventing youth violence and substance use/abuse. Eligible applicants are local educational agencies (LEA) or a consortium of LEAs that partner with local public mental health, law enforcement, juvenile justice agencies, social service agencies, and other community-based organizations. MI currently serves (or has served) as the local evaluator for five SS/HS projects in New York: Cayuga County, Utica City School District, Rome City School District, Sodus Central School District, and Oneida-Herkimer-Madison BOCES. The evaluations have investigated the implementation and impact of targeted programs based on comprehensive logic models. Methods have included student surveys aligned with the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey indicators; cross-sectional and longitudinal comparisons of risk behaviors; documentation systems for tracking program activities and challenges; and site visits.
Westchester County Department of Health (WCDOH):
HIV/AIDS Prevention Program Needs Assessment
This multi-phase evaluation project for the WCDOH involved three major activities: (1) conducting a tri-county needs assessment survey to better understand the HIV prevention needs of youth and young adults in the New York State counties of Westchester, Putnam, and Rockland; (2) organizing a youth conference on HIV prevention and action planning tailored to each county; and (3) preparing a comprehensive HIV prevention plan that included identification of available county resources, barriers to accessing those resources, and recommended strategies for improvement.
New York State Department of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services
(DSAS):
Prevention Community Demonstration Project Evaluation
MI conducted a comprehensive evaluation of the Prevention Community Demonstration Project, a community-based substance abuse prevention program that operated in six regions of New York state. The central aim of the project was to enlist and coordinate the interest, support, and skills of as many key representatives of different community sectors as possible in working toward the prevention of drug and alcohol abuse. MI researchers used the CIPP model—a comprehensive framework for examining programs, projects, personnel, products, institutions, and systems—to guide the evaluation. Evaluation methods included a comprehensive documentation system, in-depth case studies, surveys, and telephone interviews. The learnings from this three-year study were synthesized and disseminated to the research community.
State University of New York at Albany, Research Foundation:
National Institutes of Health (NIH) Health Disparities Project
The Research Foundation at the University at Albany commissioned an independent evaluation of the NIH funded Center for the Elimination of Minority Health Disparities (CEMHD). The Center is a collaboration of academic and community partners funded for three years for planning and capacity building. The Center’s mission is to contribute to the elimination of minority health disparities by bringing faculty research expertise to bear on the problem, and doing so in partnerships with communities, health care providers, county departments of health and the New York State Department of Health. As the evaluator, MI provided formative feedback on implementation efforts, and documented program effects across a diverse group of audiences. Evaluation methods included observations, surveys, and interviews.
Children of Alcoholics Foundation:
“Facts on Tap” Evaluation
Facts on Tap is a comprehensive alcohol and other drug education, prevention and intervention program for college students. A component of this program is a national training effort focused on increasing awareness among college professionals and students of the special challenges faced by adult children of alcoholics. MI conducted an initial evaluation of the training component using surveys, interviews, and focus groups. Several colleges were visited, nationwide in the process of implementing the study. Both training material and training sessions were evaluated.
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