The Community Mental Health Evaluation Initiative (CMHEI) was the first multisite evaluation of community mental health programs in Canada. It was planned and conducted with the involvement of a wide range of players, including government, community providers, family and consumers. It was designed to provide information relevant to policy.
The Community Mental Health Evaluation Initiative involved six separate evaluation studies of community mental health programs and one methods study, joined together through the use of a common data collection protocol. In addition, a multisite comparison of programs was conducted under the leadership of the Health Systems Research and Consulting Unit, located at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
CMHEI was conceived in 1997 by the Ontario Mental Health Foundation, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, and the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario. CMHEI is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
Participating programs were diverse and included both formal services (Assertive Community Treatment Teams, Intensive Case Management) and peer-support organizations (consumer and family support initiatives).
The final report, Making a Difference: Ontario’s Community Mental Health Evaluation Initiative, was published in October 2004.