The population with schizophrenia has a high rate of obesity and dies 25 years prematurely, most commonly because of cardiovascular disease.  Psychosocial weight control practices are effective in clinical trials, but rarely used in routine care.  These practices need to be tailored to the cognitive deficits found in the population with schizophrenia; to the capacity of the clinic; and to the preferences of the population.  This webinar presents a study that evaluated the implementation and effectiveness of a tailored in-person evidence-based weight management program delivered in four mental health clinics and including over 800 patients.  Results of the implementation of the weight intervention and the patient outcomes will be presented. Implementation of such a tailored weight management program in usual care clinics will be discussed including access to educational tools (for patients and clinicians) to help with uptake of this needed service.

Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Cite direct ways that mental health care for those with schizophrenia can be improved, and move toward implementation
• Identify why and how weight interventions should be tailored for the population with schizophrenia
• Discuss the role of data in quality improvement and apply these principles in practice

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