The Annapolis Coalition

Innovation

The Search for Workforce Innovation

Across the nation, individuals and organizations are developing and pursuing unique strategies designed to improve behavioral health workforce recruitment, diversity, retention, training, education, and performance. Historically, there has been no structure or mechanism for identifying these innovations or for broadly disseminating information about them so that others could learn from, adopt, or adapt these creative approaches.

Since 2001, the Annapolis Coalition has been engaged in an organized effort to discover innovative workforce practices, to formally recognize the developers of the innovations, and to summarize and distribute information about these workforce practices throughout all sectors of the mental health and addiction sectors of this field.

Round 1: The Inaugural Summit – 2001/2002

The first search for innovation was informal in nature and occurred as part of the planning for the inaugural summit of the Coalition in Annapolis, Maryland on September 10-11, 2001. Conference organizers scanned the environment and informally polled colleagues on the most noteworthy workforce innovations to highlight at the Summit, emphasizing the need for diversity among the practices to be recognized. Four innovations, all focused on education, were selected. These included; a provider education program developed and delivered by family advocates; a federally-funded initiative to develop tool-kits on training in evidence-based practices; a multidisciplinary faculty development program focused on addictions; and an AIDS education project tailored for psychiatrists and psychiatric residents.

A document describing these innovative practices can be accessed free of charge here.

A summary of these innovative practices was also published as part of the conference proceedings, which appeared as a special issue of a professional journal. The reference for this work is: Stuart GW, Burland J, Ganju V, Levounis, P, & Kiosk S. Educational best practices. In Hoge MA & Morris JA (eds). Administration and Policy in Mental Health 29 (4/5), 325-333. Click here to access the Journal via the publisher's website.

Round 2: A National Search for Innovation – 2003/2004

To formalize the search for creative workforce practices, the Annapolis Coalition implemented a national search for educational innovation using standardized nomination procedures and evaluation criteria. A call for nominations was sent electronically to approximately 1300 key informants in behavioral health, including advocates, educators, state administrators, policy makers, and providers. The National Steering Committee of the Coalition, comprised of this country’s foremost experts on workforce development in behavioral health, served as the review committee.

For this round, the Annapolis Coalition adapted the selection criteria from the Innovations in American Government Awards at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government. Link

The four key criteria were: novelty, effectiveness, significance, and transferability. Access the latest version of the Annapolis Coalition selection criteria here.

A total of 19 educational innovations were recognized in this round. A document describing these innovative practices can be accessed free of charge here.

A summary of these innovative practices was also published as part of a second special journal issue produced by the Annapolis Coalition. The reference for this work is: O’Connell MJ, Morris JA, & Hoge MA. In Hoge MA & Morris JA (eds). Innovation in behavioral health workforce education. Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 32(2), 131-165, 2004. Click here to access the article via the publisher’s website.

Round 3: The National Action Plan – 2005/2006

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration engaged the Annapolis Coalition to develop the national Action Plan on Behavioral Health Workforce Development. The planning process was guided by eight expert panels comprised of leaders in workforce development from diverse sectors of the field. Each panel was charged with reviewing available research and reports on workforce problems and strategies relevant to their area of focus. They also obtained broad input on these issues from stakeholders in their sector of the behavioral health field. As part of this process, the panels were asked to identify innovative workforce practices using the criteria developed during the prior national search for innovation. The selected innovations were highly relevant to the strategic goals and objectives identified in the national Action Plan.

A total of 21 innovative practices were identified through this process. A brief summary of each practice is available here. A full report on the recognized workforce practices can be accessed free of charge here.

Round 4: A National Search for Innovation – 2006

In 2006, the Annapolis Coalition launched an additional nationwide search for innovative workforce practices. Funded by SAMHSA, the search was organized around eight content areas, which included: (1) persons in recovery and families (adult mental health); (2) child, adolescent, and school-based mental health; (3) cultural competency; (4) leadership; (5) older adults; (6) rural; (7) substance abuse prevention; and (8) substance use disorders treatment. In each content area a senior advisor convened a panel of experts to review nominations for innovative practices in workforce development.

An electronic call for nominations was distributed electronically to individuals and organizations across the country. A total of 86 nominations were received and routed to the appropriate expert panels that were created by the Coalition to conduct the review and selection process in each of the eight content areas.

At the request of the funder, the single most notable innovation in each of the eight categories was identified. Additional information on these finalists was obtained using multiple methods, including site visits, phone interviews, and requests for more detailed documentation about the innovation. Senior advisors and other workforce experts from the Annapolis Coalition provided information and consultation to the leaders of these innovative practices in an effort to lend further support to these creative initiatives. A brief summary of each practice is available here. A full report on the recognized innovations is available for download here.

Round 5: A National Search for Innovation – 2006/2007

The expert panels convened in 2006 identified a range of innovations. The Annapolis Coalition decided to expand the work of these panels and to recognize 20 additional practices designed to strengthen the workforce. The standard selection criteria used in previous phases continued to guide the review process. A full report on the recognized innovations is available for download here.


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	Home About Us Action Plan Core Competencies Behavioral Health Pacesetter Award Governance Publications Presentations E-News Technical Assistance Links Innovation Register for Updates Special Topics Contact Us Join our mailing list	Innovation The Search for Workforce Innovation Across the nation, individuals and organizations are developing and pursuing unique strategies designed to improve behavioral health workforce recruitment, diversity, retention, training, education, and performance. Historically, there has been no structure or mechanism for identifying these innovations or for broadly disseminating information about them so that others could learn from, adopt, or adapt these creative approaches. Since 2001, the Annapolis Coalition has been engaged in an organized effort to discover innovative workforce practices, to formally recognize the developers of the innovations, and to summarize and distribute information about these workforce practices throughout all sectors of the mental health and addiction sectors of this field. Round 1: The Inaugural Summit – 2001/2002 The first search for innovation was informal in nature and occurred as part of the planning for the inaugural summit of the Coalition in Annapolis, Maryland on September 10-11, 2001. Conference organizers scanned the environment and informally polled colleagues on the most noteworthy workforce innovations to highlight at the Summit, emphasizing the need for diversity among the practices to be recognized. Four innovations, all focused on education, were selected. These included; a provider education program developed and delivered by family advocates; a federally-funded initiative to develop tool-kits on training in evidence-based practices; a multidisciplinary faculty development program focused on addictions; and an AIDS education project tailored for psychiatrists and psychiatric residents. A document describing these innovative practices can be accessed free of charge here. A summary of these innovative practices was also published as part of the conference proceedings, which appeared as a special issue of a professional journal. The reference for this work is: Stuart GW, Burland J, Ganju V, Levounis, P, & Kiosk S. Educational best practices. In Hoge MA & Morris JA (eds). Administration and Policy in Mental Health 29 (4/5), 325-333. Click here to access the Journal via the publisher's website. Round 2: A National Search for Innovation – 2003/2004 To formalize the search for creative workforce practices, the Annapolis Coalition implemented a national search for educational innovation using standardized nomination procedures and evaluation criteria. A call for nominations was sent electronically to approximately 1300 key informants in behavioral health, including advocates, educators, state administrators, policy makers, and providers. The National Steering Committee of the Coalition, comprised of this country’s foremost experts on workforce development in behavioral health, served as the review committee. For this round, the Annapolis Coalition adapted the selection criteria from the Innovations in American Government Awards at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government. Link The four key criteria were: novelty, effectiveness, significance, and transferability. Access the latest version of the Annapolis Coalition selection criteria here. A total of 19 educational innovations were recognized in this round. A document describing these innovative practices can be accessed free of charge here. A summary of these innovative practices was also published as part of a second special journal issue produced by the Annapolis Coalition. The reference for this work is: O’Connell MJ, Morris JA, & Hoge MA. In Hoge MA & Morris JA (eds). Innovation in behavioral health workforce education. Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 32(2), 131-165, 2004. Click here to access the article via the publisher’s website. Round 3: The National Action Plan – 2005/2006 The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration engaged the Annapolis Coalition to develop the national Action Plan on Behavioral Health Workforce Development. The planning process was guided by eight expert panels comprised of leaders in workforce development from diverse sectors of the field. Each panel was charged with reviewing available research and reports on workforce problems and strategies relevant to their area of focus. They also obtained broad input on these issues from stakeholders in their sector of the behavioral health field. As part of this process, the panels were asked to identify innovative workforce practices using the criteria developed during the prior national search for innovation. The selected innovations were highly relevant to the strategic goals and objectives identified in the national Action Plan. A total of 21 innovative practices were identified through this process. A brief summary of each practice is available here. A full report on the recognized workforce practices can be accessed free of charge here. Round 4: A National Search for Innovation – 2006 In 2006, the Annapolis Coalition launched an additional nationwide search for innovative workforce practices. Funded by SAMHSA, the search was organized around eight content areas, which included: (1) persons in recovery and families (adult mental health); (2) child, adolescent, and school-based mental health; (3) cultural competency; (4) leadership; (5) older adults; (6) rural; (7) substance abuse prevention; and (8) substance use disorders treatment. In each content area a senior advisor convened a panel of experts to review nominations for innovative practices in workforce development. An electronic call for nominations was distributed electronically to individuals and organizations across the country. A total of 86 nominations were received and routed to the appropriate expert panels that were created by the Coalition to conduct the review and selection process in each of the eight content areas. At the request of the funder, the single most notable innovation in each of the eight categories was identified. Additional information on these finalists was obtained using multiple methods, including site visits, phone interviews, and requests for more detailed documentation about the innovation. Senior advisors and other workforce experts from the Annapolis Coalition provided information and consultation to the leaders of these innovative practices in an effort to lend further support to these creative initiatives. A brief summary of each practice is available here. A full report on the recognized innovations is available for download here. Round 5: A National Search for Innovation – 2006/2007 The expert panels convened in 2006 identified a range of innovations. The Annapolis Coalition decided to expand the work of these panels and to recognize 20 additional practices designed to strengthen the workforce. The standard selection criteria used in previous phases continued to guide the review process. A full report on the recognized innovations is available for download here.