Use of state hospital staff to provide training for staff of community residential facilities

State hospital staff and other hospital resources in a region of Washington State were used to train staff of community residential facilities in the care of persons with serious mental illness. Forty- six staff members from 17 community facilities received week-long training in the program's first year. Participants expressed a high level of satisfaction with the program, and facility administrators indicated that it had a positive impact on the overall quality of services in their facility. The annual staff turnover rate among participants was dramatically lower than among other staff in the community facilities.