The BECOMING EMPLOYED STARTS TODAY (BEST) program is a federally funded, five-year pilot program that provides evidence-based supported employment (SE) services to individuals with serious mental illness in two sites.
. The BEST program represents a concerted effort on the part of several state agencies to explore the benefits of integrating SE with broader statewide mental health services. The primary goals of the BEST program include higher employment rates for program participants with severe mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders, improved participant well-being, and reduced inpatient hospitalization rates, emergency department use, and criminal justice system involvement. |