Blogs

Taking a Social Determinants of Health Approach to Quality Improvement
March 20, 2026

We know that a social determinants of health approach is critical for the advancement of mental health for all. We have to recognize mental health as a social issue just as much as we do an individual issue. As we embrace informed understandings of cultural diversity as applied to mental health, we have to accommodate these perspectives in a system greatly overtaxed by volume of need, and juxtaposed with financial constraint. 

We know that a high quality life must involve the provision of safe and affordable housing, nutritious and sustainable food,security, and income that lifts one out of poverty. Furthermore, the need to address social isolation requires the ability to know and access enjoyable activities. Those connected to kinship, such as friends, family, as well as support workers do better. All of this speaks to a human rights approach.

When services are coordinated to address social as well as psychological needs, we give individuals the best opportunity for a high quality life. The road to recovery is not easy to do when supports do not exist, or are poorly measured and coordinated. Strong examples are needed to demonstrate organizational uptake of best practices across the scope of activities that comprise community mental health services, and the voices of clients and patients have to drive this.

There is robust research to date conducted on these issues, and community mental health centres are responsible to understand how to integrate these findings alongside the tools necessary to create policy and practice change that improves the quality of programs and services, service partnerships, and training agendas.

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Learning How to Do Community Mental Health Quality Improvement
March 20, 2026

Our approach the quality improvement incorporates review and assessment of the following elements:

• Program logic model
• Service model
• Theory of change
• Client feedback cycles
• Staffing structure
• Management and supervision guidelines and materials
• Staff onboarding procedures and training guidelines/procedures with materials
• Policies and procedures manual
• Program manual and materials
• Program reporting structure/schedule
• Funding and sponsorship agreements
• Service partnership agreements and materials

Learning how to do quality improvement requires dedicated time to organizing and planning activities that enable organizations to review and assess programs and services, service partnerships, staff organization and training, as well as assess opportunities for expansion. Decisions may need to be made to scale back on programming, or to re-organize team hierarchies, roles, and activities. There is also the need to understand how to execute these activities competently, as they are time-consuming, costly, and potentially stressful. Timing has to be considered in tandem with programming schedules, staff vacations, and the activities of teams conducting the work. Moreover, there is not any one way to conduct these assessments, and understanding how to navigate the tools and resources, as well as professional supports (if affordable) can be overwhelming. 

Timelines, implementation activities, staff collaboration, and potential resistance to uptake of evidence-based or improved practices are realities that require experience to skillfully address. Moreover, motivation to continue after implementing changes can wane, and if early monitoring does not take place to address implementation issues, chances are missed to address issues of fidelity and fit.

What is great about this work is that it lends itself to normalizing mistakes and testing new components of programs as well as indicator measurement and other quality monitoring activities. Working with teams to build communication skills support feedback processes that cater to the ways funders and other stakeholders assess successful progress and overall sustainable change. There must be an understanding of service partnership quality that assesses competency of standard activities such as service coordination, systems navigation and advocacy, and communication. Furthermore, the need to better understand how community organizations and institutions coordinate training and population needs is often neglected in these efforts. 

Once there is review and implementation of new program and monitoring activities, it is critical to organize discussions to review staff and partnership feedback on a frequent basis. Activities may not fit the realities of service operations or funding structures, and also may not meet the needs of clients served. Finally, communicating program changes or updates to service partners and other community stakeholders should happen with confirmation of fit.

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Understanding How to Conduct Organizational Research or Program Evaluation
March 20, 2026

Program evaluation is essential to know whether the programs and services offered by an organization are effective. Too often, there are programs offered that do not operate to standards expected by funders as well as clients. Determining whether a program is or is not effective requires several aspects of definition and measurement to accurately capture whether it is working effectively or not. 

The elements of program evaluation are well facilitated with a proper logic model in place. The logic model defines the scope of the program and specifically identifies areas of measurement – in terms of program processes and the outcomes expected for clients receiving the services. Both of these are required for effective functioning, and are often required of funders and government mandates. Program processes describe activities that comprise effective program operations, such as staff training targets (e.g., number of workshops offered or number of sessions attended by staff), number of individuals served by programs, and number of appointment attended. Program outcomes reflect areas of change for clients receiving programming, and so should be measured at the start and end of a program cycle. Certain programs may require ongoing assessment of client goals and achievements if programs are lengthy or otherwise complex. (This is noteworthy, for instance, for supportive housing programs.)

Conducting research that evaluates organizational programs and services in community mental health requires an effort on part of all involved. This includes staff, such as managers and supervisors, service delivery professionals, clients, the executive director, and service partners. Data-driven decisions about programs demonstrate effectiveness and so support the implementation of best practices. Staff teams often need training to collect and report on program data, and often need to be supervised and coached through building the skill sets that enable this to be done well. It is important to hold staff accountable to the responsibilities they have on measuring and reporting program data.