Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC), Allegheny Campus, is situated on the North Side of Pittsburgh. The neighborhood is 60% African American. At the time of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) application, approximately one third of the students admitted to the program were African American, less than one third of whom successfully completed it. With the aid of HRSA funding, CCAC developed a model that significantly improved the success rate of disadvantaged students. Through the formation of a viable cohort, the nursing faculty nurtured success among the most at-risk students. The cohort was supported by a social worker, case managers who were nursing faculty, and tutors. Students formed study groups, actively participated in community activities, and developed leadership skills through participation in the Student Nurse Association of Pennsylvania. This article provides the rationale for the Registered Nurse (RN) Achievement Model, describes the components of RN Achievement, and discusses the outcomes of the initiative.
Although the findings are promising, the evidence suggests that the jail treatment intervention may need to be more intense than the outpatient model used in this project given that the average length of stay in the jail program was 8 weeks due to release to the community. An alternative consideration would be to only provide the program to those inmates who are sentenced for at least 90 days.
This article presents data from an evaluation of the Pennsylvania Student Assistance Program (SAP). Focusing on both program process and effectiveness, the evaluation was conducted to determine the overall efficacy of SAPs in Pennsylvania and, more specifically, how SAP is currently being implemented. Five data collection strategies were employed: statewide surveys of SAP team members and county administrators, focus groups, site visits, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education SAP Database. A total of 1204 individual team members from 154 school buildings completed the team member survey. Fifty-three county administrators completed the county administrator survey. Focus groups were comprised of SAP coordinators, school board personnel and community agency staff. Site visits were conducted at five schools. The findings of the evaluation indicate that SAP in Pennsylvania is being implemented as designed. Recommended is the development of benchmarks and indicators that focus on the best SAP practices and the extent to which various indicators of the effectiveness of SAP are occurring at appropriate levels.
The Comprehensive Services for Children and Their Families or System of Care (SOC) is the largest mental health project ever conducted by the US federal government. These programs are based on a value-driven framework that includes: child/youth centered and family driven practice, community-based practice, and culturally competent practice (Stroul and Friedman in A system of care for children and youth with severe emotional disturbances, Georgetown University Child Development Center, CASSP Technical Assistance Center, Washington, DC, 1986). The aim of this study is to determine the extent of the adoption of SOC values by families, system partners, providers and community organizations in a countywide SOC. Using a retrospective design, data was collected through a system-wide survey and focus groups, which asked respondents to rate the presence of SOC core values prior to and four years following its creation. Results suggest that system partners, provider staff, and families are aware of the changes that have occurred within the system as a result of the SOC.
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