The purpose of the present study was twofold:

• To conduct a follow-on study to a 2001 research study which revealed meaningful increases in psychological health and reductions in the dependency on outpatient and inpatient services for Pikes Peak Mental Health (PPMH) consumers who participated in Aspen Diversified Industries (ADI) programs

• To conduct preliminary analyses comparing ADI’s “Recovery” Model of supportive employment to an alternative Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Model

Psychological health (CCAR and GAF scores), out/inpatient treatment needs, and associated out/inpatient treatment costs for 49 (past and present) ADI consumers and 47 (past and present) PPMH Clubhouse consumers were analyzed to determine if meaningful changes surfaced after consumers attended their respective programs.  Furthermore, specific analyses were performed to see how each of the ADI programs (e.g., ADI employment, external employment, training, volunteering, education) was associated with these outcomes. 

Current findings replicate previous (2001) findings that for a group of PPMH consumers, participation in ADI programs was associated with improved psychological functioning and a reduction in the dependency on PPMH services, resulting in a decrease in associated treatment costs.  Specific findings include:

• PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONING: All CCAR and GAF scores improved after ADI participation began, with both “Level of Functioning” items and the “Overall Problem Severity” item displaying statistically significant improvements.   Clubhouse findings were sporadic, with significant findings in the unintended direction.

• OUTPATIENT SERVICE NEEDS: A small decrease (not statistically significant) in outpatient services was found for the ADI group (0.35 average unit reduction per consumer, per month; $27.66 savings per consumer, per month), despite significant limitations in data available for these analyses.  In contrast, the Clubhouse group showed a significant increase in outpatient service needs after program start.

• INPATIENT SERVICE NEEDS: A significant reduction in inpatient services also surfaced after ADI participation, resulting in an average monthly decrease in days hospitalized by 0.76 days, translating to an average cost savings of $632.32 per consumer, per month, or an annual per-consumer savings of  $7,587.84.  Clubhouse results revealed no significant reductions.