"Step Over the Gap, Not In it": Bridging the Research-Practice Gap, Demystifying Evaluation and Accountability, Getting To Outcomes, and Organizational Readiness to Implement a New Program, Policy or Practice and Achieve Outcomes

The terms evaluation and accountability frighten many who operate programs.  Wandersman and colleagues have worked for years to demystify evaluation and accountability and to help those who plan and implement programs to  increase the probability of achieving outcomes.  Wandersman will describe work on Getting To Outcomes--a results based approach to accountability that has been applied to a variety of programs including substance abuse prevention, underage drinking preventions, home visiting programs, teen pregnancy prevention programs, emergency preparedness, homeless veterans programs; it has also been applied to therapy at the Heckel Psychology Services Center.  In addition Wandersman will overview new work on organizational readiness (willing and able) to implement  a new program, policy, or practice.  This work is being applied in a number of areas including integrating behavioral health and primary care; healthy community coalitions implementing activities to improve health.