On June 25th 2009, CQI co-sponsored with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH) its first policy summit: "Shared Decision Making in Mental Health Services: First Steps towards a Statewide Approach."  The full day event was held at Bentley University in Waltham, MA.  There were 100 people in attendance, including consumers, family members, state policy leaders, and providers.  Support for this summit was provided by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Foundation’s Community Health Leaders program.

With Shared decision making (SDM), the practitioner and client collaborate to reach an agreement about healthcare decisions. Effective SDM occurs when 1) the practitioner is willing to engage in a meaningful dialogue with the client about the decision to be made, and 2) the client understands the likely outcomes of various treatment options, considers how each treatment’s risks and benefits may affect his/her life, and is interested in participating in treatment decisions. This topic was chosen based on previous research by CQI, our awareness of the critical role of practitioner/client communication in the "person-centered" framework, and the important initial work on this topic by Drs. Pat Deegan and Robert Drake (professor of Psychiatry and Community and Family Medicine at Dartmouth Medical School.)

The day began with introductions by DMH Medical Director Mary Ellen Foti and CQI Executive Director Jonathan Delman.  DMH Commissioner Barbara Leadholm, Representative Jason Lewis (D-Winchester), and Valerie Bradley on behalf of RWJ’s Community Health Leaders program also offered opening remarks. Drs. Drake and Deegan each provided inspiring keynote addresses, and we had very thoughtful consumer and provider panels. (Here is the video of Dr. Drake's talk, with Dr. Deegan's to be added shortly.) Over lunch Jon Delman presented on "10 things about mental health in 10 years at CQI." 

In the afternoon we had breakout groups that centered around 5 significant issues for implementing SDM in Massachusetts mental health services.   
The five issues were:
1.  The risks and rewards of SDM
2.  Creating clinical guidelines and policy to support SDM
3.  Supports and training for clients to engage in SDM
4.  Supports and training for service providers to engage in SDM with clients
5.  The role of peer support in SDM
We are currently in the process of completing a White Paper, based on the day’s presentations and discussions, which will represent a blueprint for implementing SDM in Massachusetts mental health services.  .

Mary Ellen Foti (DMH) and Jon Delman (CQI)	CQI Executive Director, Jon Delman
DMH Medical Director, Mary Ellen Foti, welcoming participants	Bob Drake, Keynote Speaker
Pat Deegan, Keynote Speaker	DMH  Commissioner Barbara Leadholm
Rep. Jason Lewis, D-Winchester	Valerie Bradley on behalf of the Robert Wood Johnson Community Health Leaders program
Consumer Panel: Emily Russel, Rachel Hays, and Deborah Delman	Provider Panel: Susan Abbot, Barry Walsh, and Ellen Bruder-Moore
Bob Drake, Mary Ellen Foti, and Jon Delman	Consumers, providers, educators, and policy makers mingling
Participants listening closely