JSI contracted with the MA Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS) to evaluate an emergency department recovery coach (ED-RC) pilot project. JSI utilized a participatory, mixed-method evaluation approach and worked collaboratively with the five (5) ED-RC grantees, BSAS, the MA Behavioral Health Partnership, hospitals, and other participating agencies to design and implement an effective evaluation. Informed by the needs of our partners and client, JSI used our expertise and infrastructure to determine and execute a comprehensive and sophisticated system to collect, clean, analyze, verify, audit, and report data for program tracking and improvement. Recovery coaches were engaged through regular technical assistance calls and encouraged to take ownership of their data quality.
JSI also conducted a workforce development survey and focus groups with recovery coaches, key informant interviews with hospital leadership and stakeholders, and a participant satisfaction survey. These activities and the resulting analyses helped inform quantitative data interpretation. They were used to better understand program impact on hospital culture and workflow; recovery coach and participant experiences; and to identify additional successes and challenges, including those relative to reimbursement, funding, and sustainability.
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