Mobilizing communities to implement evidence-based practices in youth violence prevention: the state of the art.

Community mobilization can increase the effective implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in youth violence prevention. These strategies bring together people and organizations in a community to try to solve or reduce a problem. They help communities address the challenges of identifying EBPs, disseminating them to local decision-makers, and then implementing and sustaining them if they are successful.

The role of effective discharge planning in preventing homelessness.

Effective discharge planning can contribute significantly to preventing homelessness. As part of a larger continuum of care, this process can help people reach goals of stable housing, recovery, and increased quality of life in the community. Discharge planning identifies and organizes services a person with mental illness, substance abuse, and other vulnerabilities needs when leaving an institutional or custodial setting and returning to the community.

Cognitive impairments and the prevention of homelessness: research and practice review.

Cognitive impairments can increase significantly a person's level of risk for becoming or remaining homeless. Five topics are explored that address these impairments in preventing homelessness: (1) the nature and estimated prevalence of cognitive impairments among people who are homeless, especially those with vulnerabilities like mental illness or substance abuse; (2) the multiple origins of these impairments; (3) how these impairments impact services for people at risk for homelessness; (4) good practice approaches to handling cognitive impairments in homeless shelters, supported housing programs, and other service systems for people at risk for homelessness; and, (5) important research and practice issues requiring further action.

Diffusion of innovations theory and work-site AIDS programs.

Four case studies of the adoption of work-site AIDS programs are investigated, two of which were modifications of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Business Responds to AIDS (BRTA) program. AIDS work-site programs were mainly initiated by the four study companies as a result of the efforts of a champion (defined as an individual who gains attention and resources for an issue in a system) or the occurrence of a tragic event, such as a company employee contracting AIDS. The BRTA program is an innovation that has not yet reached critical mass, which is the point after which further rates of adoption occur rapidly in a self-sustaining process.

Managing the human side of change in VA's transformation.

Transformational change interventions often fail or short fall of their intended impact on organizations and systems. One main reason is that these interventions frequently do not strategically address the complex human dynamics of change. This happens despite awareness of and commitment to intervening at this level by top management and change leaders.

The role of knowledge utilization in adopting innovations from academic medical centers.

A literature review and an exploratory survey were conducted to find out about knowledge utilization activities in academic medical centers. Structured interviews were conducted with one respondent in each of ten selected programs in one center and were followed by qualitative data analysis concerning types of knowledge utilization activities and their effectiveness, and barriers and incentives to the success of knowledge utilization. Suggestions are provided for ways administrators in both academic and community medical centers may increase their effectiveness in using knowledge utilization strategies to promote the adoption of innovations.