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The 2014 Washington State legislature directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) to “complete a comprehensive assessment of the utilization and capacity needs of crisis mental health services” and provide “an update to statewide utilization and capacity figures for evaluation and treatment facilities, inpatient psychiatric beds, and regional support network-funded crisis facilities.” This assignment follows a 2011 WSIPP report that examined the impact of new provisions to Washington State’s involuntary treatment act on psychiatric bed utilization; to view the 2011 report, click here. This report details the historical and current availability of psychiatric treatment beds.
The 2013 Washington State Legislature directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) to create, in consultation with the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), University of Washington Evidence-Based Practice Institute (EBPI), University of Washington Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute (ADAI), and the Washington Institute for Mental Health Research and Training (WIMHRT), an inventory of evidence-based, research-based, and promising practices. The initial inventory of interventions and policies in adult mental health and chemical dependency services was published in May 2014. To view the May 2014 results, click here. While we were not directed by the legislature to update this inventory, a WSIPP Board-approved contract with the Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative enabled WSIPP to review four additional programs and update the literature on supported housing for chronically homeless adults.
WSIPP’s Board of Directors authorized WSIPP to work on a joint project with the MacArthur Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts to extend WSIPP’s benefit-cost analysis to certain health care topics. An important goal is to determine whether there are strategies that can help states control Medicaid and other health care costs. This report reviews evidence on six topics: “lifestyle” programs designed to prevent diabetes; behavioral interventions to reduce obesity; smoking cessation during pregnancy; transitional care to prevent hospital readmissions; patient-centered medical homes; and programs to reduce avoidable emergency department visits.
Megan Morris, Annie Pennucci, Steve Aos, Elizabeth Drake, Danielle Fumia, Marna Miller, Catherine Nicolai, John Bauer - December 2014
The 2014 Washington State Legislature directed WSIPP to identify programs and policies that can decrease tobacco and e-cigarette use and yield the greatest return on investment. WSIPP employed its standard approach to reviewing research evidence and conducting benefit-cost analysis. We identified 40 topics with research of sufficient rigor to allow us to draw conclusions about effectiveness. Of the 40, we found that 33 produce, on average, reductions in tobacco use. We identified a few programs that have undesirable effects on outcomes. Our findings apply to tobacco prevention and cessation strategies. For e-cigarettes, unfortunately, we were unable to locate any rigorous evaluations that measure the impact of prevention strategies. In this report we summarize state regulations as of October 2014 related to e-cigarettes.
The 2014 Washington State Legislature directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy to examine the Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative (DOSA) for offenders sentenced to residential treatment in the community. Residential DOSA was created by the 2005 Legislature as an alternative to prison for offenders with substance abuse problems. When ordered by a court, an offender’s sentence is reduced in exchange for completing chemical dependency treatment. When possible, WSIPP conducts benefit-cost analysis to understand the long-term impacts of policies. In addition to residential DOSA’s effect on recidivism, research indicates that crime is avoided through confinement, known as “incapacitation.” We cannot empirically estimate the extent to which a residential treatment facility itself incapacitates offenders. Thus, we are unable to determine the degree to which the benefits from the favorable recidivism reduction of residential DOSA would be offset by the increased costs of non-confinement.
The 2013 Washington State Legislature directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy (WSIPP) to conduct an outcome evaluation of Washington State's early childhood education and assistance program (ECEAP). The program provides educational instruction, as well as family support and health and nutrition services, to preschool-aged children from low-income families. WSIPP developed a statistical model to determine whether attending ECEAP had any impact on student academic outcomes. We found that ECEAP has a positive impact on third, fourth, and fifth grade test scores. This is our final report for WSIPP's 2013 legislative ECEAP assignment; to view the initial report click here.
The Washington State Institute for Public Policy was directed by the 2012 Legislature to evaluate the Family Assessment Response by December 1, 2016. In this interim report we provide a brief background on the new system, describe the way the model is being implemented in Washington State, and outline our evaluation approach. The final report was published in November 2017.
The 2009 Washington State Legislature directed the Washington State Institute for Public Policy to evaluate the extent to which new contracting arrangement within DSHS increased the use of evidence-based, research-based, and promising practices and whether it has improved outcomes for children. In this preliminary report, we provide a brief legislative history and synopsis of recent developments in DSHS’ movement toward implementing performance-based contracting. The original legislation required a final report due June 30, 2016. The 2016 Legislature amended WSIPP's assignment by extending the final report date to April 1, 2023. The 2018 Legislature repealed several laws related to performance-based contracting, including WSIPP's final report.
The Washington State Institute for Public Policy's (WSPP)Board of Directors authorized WSIPP to work on a joint project of the MacArthur Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts to extend WSIPP’s benefit-cost analysis to certain public health, health care, and other topics. WSIPP conducted literature reviews on five dental topics: fluoride varnish, sealants, community water fluoridation, mid-level dental providers, and preventive dental visits. We found sufficient rigorous evaluations to analyze the effect of three of the five oral health interventions on tooth decay: fluoride varnish, sealants, and community water fluoridation.
Initiative 502, passed by Washington voters in November 2012, legalized recreational cannabis use for adults in the state. The initiative directs WSIPP to evaluate the policy in a series of reports between 2015 and 2032. As part of this assignment, we reviewed the evaluation literature on 23 youth marijuana prevention and treatment programs. This review updates an earlier report that focused on a subset of the programs; to view the initial report click here.