The definition of a system of care (SOC) can guide those intending to develop and sustain SOCs. Hodges, Ferreira, Israel, and Mazza [Hodges, S., Ferreira, K., Israel, N., & Mazza, J. (in press). "Systems of care, featherless bipeds, and the measure of all things." "Evaluation and Program Planning"] have emphasized contexts in which services are…

Selected executive directors of local and national Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) service organizations were asked about their need and desire for a national organization. Replies of 12 local and 8 national directors confirmed the desire for such an organization and suggested various models for its organization. (SLD)

Articles in this special issue use survey data to provide policymakers with validated indirect needs assessment models that will help them obtain information about populations requiring different levels and types of mental health services. The articles provide the basis for predictive needs assessment and explanatory models of resource allocation.…

The nine articles of this special section focus on the role of evaluation in the reform of the mental health system in Washington. The reform process is described from its inception through its design to the dissemination and utilization of evaluation results. The final article considers implications for statewide evaluations. (SLD)