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Center for Mental Healthcare and Outcomes Research (CeMHOR)

Temporary page: CeMHOR web page under re-construction. Please visit again after we renovate!

Since 1990, CeMHOR has strived to improve access to care, quality of care and outcomes of care for veterans with prevalent and serious mental disorders.

Our mission is to develop, implement and disseminate policy-relevant and clinically relevant health services research to improve the mental health and care of veterans within the VA and nationwide. CeMHOR investigators fulfill this mission by developing and testing "real-world" interventions to improve quality and outcomes of care for depression, dementia, schizophrenia and substance use disorders.

Located in North Little Rock, Arkansas, CeMHOR is a major hub for mental health services research activity both within the VA and outside the agency. CeMHOR is located in the same building with the Mental Health Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) Coordinating Center and the South Central Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC). With CeMHOR, these centers serve as important resources for researchers, policymakers and managers.

Our goals are:

• To increase capacity in the mental health services research field through recruitment, training, mentoring and collaboration
• To sustain a superior environment to generate and support the highest quality mental health services research
• To assess outcomes and effectiveness of mental health practices and programs and identify barriers and facilitators to the adoption of evidence-based care
• To develop and test services interventions to improve the processes and outcomes of mental health care
• To promote widespread diffusion of effective services interventions into routine practice

A Tradition of Excellence

For more than 15 years, CeMHOR has demonstrated a tradition of excellence in mental health services research, focusing on depression, schizophrenia, dementia and substance use disorders. Each disorder is highly significant for VA clinicians and policymakers because of its prevalence, severity, disability, service utilization and cost of care.

Over the years, our core investigators have directed the development and/or field testing of outcomes assessment instruments (modules) for substance use disorders, schizophrenia and dementia. In doing so, some are now recognized as national experts in the study of quality and outcomes of care for these mental disorders. Our tradition of excellence continues as CeMHOR investigators translate their research findings into interventions, methods and strategies for improving routine clinical practice in VA hospitals and clinics.

CeMHOR's research staff consists of core investigators and postdoctoral fellows drawn from the disciplines of psychiatry, psychology, nursing, pharmacy, biostatistics, health economics, epidemiology, sociology and medical geography.