Peer Respites: A Qualitative Assessment of Consumer Experience.

This qualitative study explored the experiences of persons staying at two peer respites through interviews with 27 respite guests near the end of their stay and at 2-6 months following their stay. Trained peer interviewers conducted baseline and follow-up interviews. Peer respites can be beneficial spaces within the mental health system for guests to temporarily escape stressful situations while building relationships with other persons with mental illness, though some respondents were uncomfortable receiving services from peers, and several guests did not want to leave after their stay.

Health Outcomes and Costs Associated with the Provision of Culturally Competent Services for Underrepresented Ethnic Populations with Severe Mental Illness.

Underrepresented racial/ethnic populations (UREPs) face disparities in their use of behavioral health services for multiple reasons including lack of culturally competent services and stigma. This paper employs mixed methods to compare health outcomes and costs among clients in 14 culturally competent behavioral health programs targeting specific UREPs to five programs without a specific racial or ethnic focus. We found that UREP-focused programs were associated with similar improvements in health outcomes, but greater costs relative to the comparison programs.