An empirical evaluation of recovery transformation at a large community behavioral healthcare organization

In recent decades, the concept of "recovery" from severe mental illness (SMI) has gained increased prominence among organizations providing behavioral health services. Organizations in many states are currently developing plans to transform their mental health systems in accordance with recovery-oriented care. Even though efforts to bring the principles of recovery to mental health agencies have been well documented in the United States and abroad, there is little empirical evidence to suggest that recovery-oriented services are advantageous. The purpose of this longitudinal study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a recovery-oriented transformation carried out by a large private not-for-profit behavioral healthcare organization serving individuals with SMI. This transformation targeted the philosophy, and specific procedures involved in the provision of care to consumers within the organization. The outcome variables selected to evaluate the impact of the transformation were grouped into the following categories: (1) organizational performance indicators; (2) consumer recovery indicators; (3) staff competencies; and (4) processes that promote recovery. Six hundred and twenty seven consumers and 490 staff participated in the evaluation. The findings suggest that recovery-oriented services had a positive impact on rates of overnight hospitalization, consumers' ability to function in the community, professional competencies of direct care employees, and working alliance between direct care providers and consumers. This indicates that comprehensive and well structured recovery-oriented behavioral healthcare may offer a cost-efficient and effective alternative to the deficit approach in mental health.