Structural Characteristics of Early Psychosis Intervention Network (EPINET) Programs

OBJECTIVE: The Early Psychosis Intervention Network (EPINET) is funded by NIMH and includes 111 early psychosis programs across the United States. EPINET presents an opportunity to examine characteristics of early psychosis programs and their participants on a national scale in order to maximize the utility of person-level data and understand the context of the programs within this national sample. In this study, the authors explored structural characteristics of programs participating in EPINET-funded hubs. METHODS: EPINET hubs and programs collected data from a measure that gathers contextual information, including program age, size, funding, and eligibility criteria. RESULTS: Most EPINET programs were administered by community mental health centers (60%) funded through multiple sources (87%), including Medicaid and non-Medicaid insurance. More than three-quarters were initiated during or after 2014, when the federal government allocated an influx of funding for early psychosis programs. CONCLUSIONS: EPINET provides opportunities to advance an understanding of and improve outcomes in early psychosis care through large-scale, data-driven research. This study revealed program-level characteristics of the sample relevant to service capacity, funding streams, and other contextual factors that may affect the quality and effectiveness of service delivery. Sustainability of current financing mechanisms remains an important consideration for the maintenance and expansion of coordinated specialty care programs. Future studies could investigate factors that shape implementation efforts of early psychosis programming, such as state-level policy, use of federal funding for program development, and considerations about sustainability.