SAMHSA Minority Fellowship Program (MFP)

First National SAMHSA MFP Conference
Cultural Competence and Reducing Health Disparities*

Evaluation of Conference

• Executive Summary
• Background and Goal of Conference
• Conference Results
• Table 1: Evaluation Responses and Average Scores (18 Items)
• Table 2: SAMHSA MFP Conference
• Table 3: Agree/Disagree Items (4)
• Responses To Open-Ended Questions On Evaluation Form
• Attachment 1
• Attachment 2
• Attachment 3

Executive Summary:
The primary conference participants, 133 MFP Fellows and Alumni, were asked to complete a two-page Conference Evaluation Form, comprised of 22 objective ratings and 5 open-ended questions. Seventy-three (73) Evaluation Forms were received, or 55 % of the participants responded (a rather high response rate). Conference participants rated 12 sessions and 6 general aspects of the conference on a one-to-four scale (excellent, very good, good, poor). The ratings ranged from 2.23 (good - very good) for Breakout Group II, to a perfect 1.0 (excellent) for Dr. King Davis (see Table 1). The rating for the Conference Overall was 1.38 (very good — excellent). The responses to the 5 open-ended questions are consistent with the highly favorable objective ratings. Feedback from MFP Program Directors and SAMHSA staff is also attached.

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Background and Goal of Conference:
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, and Center for Substance Abuse Treatment recognized the need for a diversified mental health workforce and initiated and funded the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP). The twofold purpose of the MFP is to facilitate the entry of ethnic minority students into mental health and substance abuse disorder careers and to increase the number of ethnic minority psychiatrists, psychologists, nurses, and social workers. The First National SAMHSA MFP Conference was co-sponsored by SAMHSA and the five MFP grantees: American Nurses Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, Council on Social Work Education, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

The goal of the conference was to enhance the interactive relationship between SAMHSA and its minority fellows. The specific objectives were:

• To provide current fellows and MFP alumni with information about the organizational structure and processes that SAMHSA uses to achieve its mission including descriptions of programs and initiatives it supports in the field to provide culturally competent services to reduce health disparities.
• To provide SAMHSA with more information about the MFP fellows and alumni, their capabilities, specific activities, information, and experiences.
• To provide a forum for the exchange of scientific and theoretical knowledge about mental health and/or substance abuse issues that adversely affect minority populations.

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Conference Results
The conference was attended by 74 current MFP Fellows, 59 MFP Alumni, 28 SAMHSA Staff, including the Associate Administrator of SAMHSA and the three SAMHSA Center Directors, 15 representatives from the co-sponsoring associations, and 55 others from the mental health and substance abuse treatment and prevention fields. The total number of participants was 231. The distribution of the 74 current MFP Fellows and 59 MFP Alumni from nursing, psychiatry, psychology, social work, and child psychiatry is presented in Table 2.

The conference format included plenary sessions, topical breakout sessions, Web-based information technology sessions, networking opportunities, and luncheon programs. The topical breakout sessions focused on children and families; co-occurring disorders, substance abuse treatment and prevention, HIV/AIDS; trauma and violence; community-based treatment and prevention, reducing stigma/barriers; and cultural competence and reducing health disparities. Group leaders and recorders were used to facilitate discussion and to report issues of importance identified by the breakout groups.

The two-page Evaluation Form (Attachment 1) was distributed to participants. The contractor for the conference, MasiMax Resources, Inc. conducted the survey and analyzed the results. They received 73 evaluation forms, or 55 % of the 133 MFP Fellows and Alumni participants, who were the primary Conference participants. This is a rather high response rate.

For 18 items (12 sessions and 6 general aspects) evaluating various aspects of the conference, respondents were asked to rate each item on a 4-point scale: Excellent = 1, Very Good = 2, Good = 3, Poor = 4. These results are reported in Table 1. The ratings ranged from 2.23 for Breakout Group II (good - very good), to a perfect 1.0 (excellent) for Dr. King Davis. The rating for the Conference Overall was 1.38 (very good - excellent), and 16 of the 18 ratings were 1.0 to 1.91 (very good - excellent).

Finally, respondents were asked to agree or disagree on four other items. These results are reported in Table 3. Again, the evaluation of the conference on these items was very positive (87% - 93%).

The MFP Fellows' and Alumni's responses to the open-ended questions appear on pages 3 - 8, with 9 additional comments they sent by e-mail. These are all consistent with the highly favorable objective ratings.

In addition, feedback from MFP Program Directors and SAMHSA staff is attached (Attachments 2 and 3, respectively).

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Table 1: Evaluation Responses and Average Scores (18 Items)

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Table 2: SAMHSA MFP Conference
Number of Participants: Current Fellows and MFP Alumni

Key:
ANA = American Nurses Association
ApA = American Psychiatric Association
APA = American Psychological Association
CSWE = Council on Social Work Education
AACAP = American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

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Table 3: Agree/Disagree Items (4)

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* At the Hyatt Regency Washington Hotel, Washington, DC, December 11-13, 2003. This report was prepared by Patricia Smith, MasiMax Resources, Inc.