About
Faculty, Staff, & Experts
Contact
Visit our webpage at:
laevidencetopractice.com
The Center for Evidence to Practice is a collaboration between LSUHSC School of Public Health –Behavioral and Community Health Sciences Program and the Louisiana Department of Health – Office of Behavioral Health.
Our mission is to support the state and its agencies, organizations, communities, and providers in the selection and implementation of evidence-based interventions to promote youth and family well-being, improve behavioral health outcomes, and to address challenges related to sustaining quality practice.
The Center for Evidence to Practice will serve the state of Louisiana as a hub for innovation and cross-sectoral collaboration to improve behavioral health services through capacity building with service providers and university programs.
The need for a Behavioral Health Evidence-Based Practice Center was demonstrated in the 2017 Louisiana Behavioral Health Provider Survey of Youth Related Services. This statewide survey, funded by the Office of Behavioral Health and executed by Dr. Stephen Phillippi, Ph.D. found less than 60% of the mental health services delivered under Medicaid coverage were reporting utilizing an evidence-based practice, and even fewer providers reporting the adoption of key research supported components, like written training curricula, structured supervision, fidelity monitoring, and manualized treatment. Thus, the Center for Evidence to Practice was created in hopes of bridging gaps and bring more evidence-based behavioral health practices to communities across the state of Louisiana.
Evidence-Based Practices for Behavioral Health: Training and Technical Assistance
Our training menu will grow and change to meet the needs and recommendations of communities and organizations throughout Louisiana. Through ongoing monitoring and evaluation and needs assessments, we will make data-informed decisions in regards to upcoming workforce development and practice opportunities. Through collaborations with Managed Care Organizations, Medicaid, the Office of Behavioral Health, other state agencies, service providers, families, and communities, the Center for Evidence to Practice will work to expand evidence-based practices to better serve Louisiana’s youth and families.
University Outreach and Support
Universities and colleges hold the great responsibility of preparing the future workforce. The Center for Evidence to Practice will partner with institutions of higher education across the state of Louisiana to find ways to share ideas on workforce development in order to increase exposure to evidence-based practices within curricula for behavioral health related career tracks in fields such as Social Work, Counseling, and Psychology.