Jacob Tebes, PhD, professor of psychiatry (psychology), in the Child Study Center and of Public Health (Social and Behavioral Sciences) has received a two-year research grant from the National Institute of Justice to extend the multi-level, mixed methods evaluation of Elm City COMPASS , a community-based initiative to create a system of sustainable supports for people in New Haven who experience a mental health or substance use crisis.
COMPASS, or Compassionate Allies Serving Our Streets, is directed by Tebes, with co-director Derrick Gordon, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry. COMPASS is a collaboration of The Consultation Center at Yale, Continuum of Care, and the City of New Haven, and includes in-kind support from the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Connecticut Mental Health Center, and the Yale Department of Psychiatry.
COMPASS supports a crisis response team which operates daily from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. to complement and support first responders to 911 calls and through outreach. In addition, COMPASS collaborates with over 150 service system partners in New Haven, including service providers, advocates, law enforcement, city and state officials, and faith leaders, and also supports a Community Advisory Board of New Haven residents to ensure the program reflects community needs and values. Finally, COMPASS includes a comprehensive evaluation of team operations and the effectiveness of services.
In a recent interview, Tebes said, “This NIJ grant extends the evaluation by two years so we can better assess the effectiveness of COMPASS for individuals served, the service system, and in the community.”
Tebes presented about the COMPASS evaluation at the National Institute of Justice annual research conference, September 16-18 in Pittsburgh and on November 12 at Addiction Medicine Grand Rounds at Yale School of Medicine with a talk titled, “Elm City COMPASS: A Comprehensive Approach to Substance Use and Mental Health Crisis Response.”