Program Information The Systems Performance, Research, and Evaluation (SPRE) Unit provides opportunities for students to develop professional social work skills from a macro and systems-level perspective within a county behavioral health system. Students may gain experience in program evaluation, quality improvement, data collection and analysis, performance measurement, and the use of data to support behavioral health programs and services. Students will have opportunities to learn about state and federal behavioral health requirements, Medi-Cal documentation and reporting, access and timeliness standards, and how regulatory requirements are implemented within a public behavioral health system. Students may participate in interdisciplinary meetings and collaborate with clinical, medical, quality management, compliance, administrative, and program staff. Through these experiences, students can develop skills in professional communication, collaboration, problem-solving, project management, policy and procedure development, and translating data and regulatory requirements into meaningful information for programs and leadership. Depending on current projects and the student's learning goals, opportunities may also include assisting with data validation, reviewing performance trends, supporting quality improvement activities, developing reports or presentations, researching best practices, contributing to surveys and program evaluations, and assisting with the development of workflows, procedures, or other system-improvement initiatives. These experiences provide students with an understanding of how data, policy, quality improvement, and evaluation can be used to identify disparities, improve access to services, support organizational decision-making, and strengthen behavioral health service delivery.