A joint initiative between the National Latino Behavioral Health Association (NLBHA) and National Network to Eliminate Disparities in Behavioral Health (NNED) in association with the Department of Child and Family Studies in the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida

The Community Defined Evidence Project offers an important and exciting opportunity to advance the current body of knowledge on community-based practices “that work” for Latino populations. By developing an evidence base that uses cultural and/or community indices, we hope to influence the research and evaluation agenda, as well as policymakers and funding agencies, to implement and use innovative community-based practices to reduce disparities and improve availability, quality, and outcomes of behavioral health care for all individuals and families.

For More Information on CDEP

Linda M. Callejas, M.A., Ph.D.

Project Director
Phone: (813) 974-4651
Fax: (813) 974-7563
email

This project is funded by the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration, United States Department of Health and Human Services and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

CDEP Study Procedure

Agencies that have been nominated for inclusion in the CDEP National Directory of Successful Practices for Latinos/Hispanics will be reviewed using the CDEP practice criteria.

The CDEP practice criteria are:

  1. clear articulation of practice(s) used with Latino/Hispanic populations;
  2. demonstrated knowledge of the population(s) served;
  3. utilization of practice(s) by community;
  4. potential for demonstrating outcomes; and
  5. potential for sustainability of practice(s).

Nominees will be contacted by CDEP Team Members within the next few weeks and will be asked to complete an Initial Screening Interview and to submit relevant documents. Through the review process, a total of 18 sites will be selected for possible inclusion in the study. These sites will then be asked whether they would like to participate in the study by completing interviews by telephone or by hosting a site visit for CDEP team members. Project findings will be used to refine the definition of Community Defined Evidence (CDE), as well as the process for identifying and documenting CDE. Further, findings will be used to propose a research and evaluation agenda for the implementation and use of community-defined and based practices and ESTs/EBTs that are effective with Latinos to reduce disparities that exist in availability, quality, and outcomes of mental health care for all individuals and families.

CDEP Objectives

  • Identify and describe measurable community and/or culturally-based practices that support improved access to services and ultimately, outcomes.
  • Determine how identified and observed community-based practices can be measured to determine if they “work.”
  • Document the common and varied characteristics among identified practices and define the “essential elements” of practices that work to develop criteria for Community Defined Evidence.
  • Develop a national inventory of community-based practices.
  • Disseminate project findings to a wide audience of stakeholders.

Community Defined Evidence

Community defined evidence is a set of practices that communities have used and found to yield positive results as determined by community consensus over time. These practices may or may not have been measured empirically but have reached a level of acceptance by the community. CDE takes a number of factors into consideration, including a population’s worldview and historical and social contexts that are culturally rooted. It is not limited to clinical treatments or interventions. CDE is a complement to to Evidence Based Practices and Treatments, which emphasize empirical testing of practices and do not often consider cultural appropriateness in their development or application.