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Critical Issues in Critical Times
2009: "Arizona’s Public Behavioral Health Care System: Critical Issues in Critical Times"
This report, prepared jointly by ASU’s Center for Applied Behavior Health Policy and Morrison Institute for Public Policy, summaries a discussion among policy experts held at the July Summer Institute conference hosted annually by CABHP. It offers insights into key system strengths, vulnerabilities, and potential solutions.
Arizona's Public Behavioral Health System: Critical Issues for Critical Times prepared jointly by ASU’s Center for Applied Behavior Health Policy and Morrison Institute for Public Policy, notes that Arizona’s billion-dollar public behavioral health system, which serves 150,000 ill residents and their families, is inadequately staffed and struggling under budget cuts and the demands of a 28-year-old class-action law suit.
Among the findings of the report:
- 35% of Arizona adults with serious mental illness do not qualify for AHCCCS/Medicaid, primarily because they are working poor and uninsured, and thus are at risk for inadequate treatment
- Funds for housing and food to support patients’ recovery are essential, yet are not provided to even patients covered by AHCCCS/Medicaid because they are not considered "medically necessary"
- Budget pressures put Arizonans at risk through cuts to crisis services, which not only avert suicides and drug overdoses, but provide vital assistance to local hospitals and local law enforcement officials.
The report’s release comes just weeks after Governor Jan Brewer’s October 9th call for a major reorganization of the statewide system.
Click here to view the report.
CABHP touts event's success
Center’s Motivational Interviewing Academy scores big in Sedona
The Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy (CABHP) hosted its first Motivational Interviewing (MI) Academy at Summer Institute July 14-18 in Sedona. Twenty-two attendees took part in an intensive, week-long, MI training workshop conducted by CABHP Clinical Associate Professor Dr. Robert Rhode. The program included lecture, video, and peer practice through the use of audio-recorded sessions.
Various assessments were used throughout the course of the training to allow attendees to receive feedback. Included in these assessments were the Video Assessment of Simulated Encounters (VASE-R), knowledge questions, and evaluations of attendees’ audio-recorded sessions using the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity 3.0 (MITI 3.0) tool.
Scores from the VASE-R, a video-recorded vignette used to assess MI skills, were collected at the beginning and end of the Academy. Attendees improved their skills significantly during the week, demonstrating a mean VASE-R score at the start of 21.7 points (out of 36 points), and reaching a mean score of 28.5 at the conclusion of the Academy.
Attendees also answered a set of knowledge questions that assessed their awareness of various MI skills and strategies. As with the VASE-R, participants’ scores significantly improved, with the average score rising from 43.6% to 64.7%, with one score as high as 90% at the conclusion of the Academy.
Improvements in scores were supported by attendees’ self-reports on their mastery of the various learning objectives of the Academy. Attendees reported improvements on 7 of the 8 learning objectives, incluing:
- I am currently effective in using the three components of Motivational Interviewing “Spirit” to increase client motivation.
- I have adequate knowledge of Change and Sustain talk.
- I possess the skills to use the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity Scale (MITI) to supervise and provide feedback to clinicians.
- I possess the skills to respond to Resistance talk.
- I possess the skills to help clients experience dissatisfaction with their risky behaviors.
- I understand at an expert level the ideas and principles of MI.
- I feel proficient and able to use MI at an expert level in practice.
Attendees said the most useful component was the feedback they received on the sessions they conducted and recorded with fellow attendees during the course of the Academy. Digital recorders were used to capture 5-10 minutes sessions, with one attendee serving as the clinician, the other a client.
Attendees received feedback on their use of various MI skills during their sessions, such as their proportion of open-ended versus closed-ended questions, their ratio of reflections as compared to questions, whether or not they gave advice or directives (not consistent with an MI style), and other items.
Attendees had the option to continue receiving this form of feedback through December 2008.
CABHP hosted a Spring 2009 MI Academy on April 22nd-24th and will also be conducting a Fall 2009 MI Academy on September 30th -October 2nd. Both events sold out and we are currently taking reservations for our Spring 2009 MI Academy scheduled for March 17-19, 2010. Please contact Linda Williamson at lwilliamson@asu.edu for additional information.
SAMHSA releases new report
Report tracks combined use of drugs, alcohol
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently released The NSDUH: Concurrent Illicit Drug & Alcohol Use, a short report based on their National Survey on Drug Use & Health (NSDUD). The three-page report examines reported combined use of drugs and alcohol, which is considered to be a risk factor for addiction and other adverse affects.
Click here to view the full report.
Center hosts essay contest
CABHP to award $500 scholarships to Cesar Chavez essay contest winners
The Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy (CABHP) seeks students to submit essays for a scholarship contest honoring the legacy of Cesar Chavez. Three scholarships of $500 each will be awarded to essay contest winners selected from among entries received from new students entering Arizona State University’s College of Public Programs (COPP).
All high school seniors who have been accepted to COPP are also invited to attend the upcoming 5th Annual Cesar Chavez Behavioral Health Conference March 27, 2009 at ASU at the West campus free of charge at the invitation of CABHP. This year’s event theme is Providing Best Practice Solutions for Addressing Behavioral Health Disparities Among the Ethnic and Minority Communities of Arizona.
Click
here to download complete details and an essay contest application.
Center hosts recovery seminar
De Miranda delivers two-day training on recovery services
The Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy (CABHP) hosted recovery seminar Dec. 1-2 at Arizona State University’s Tempe campus. The two-day event drew behavioral health professional from around the state and featured recovery expert John de Miranda, CEO of Stepping Stone of San Diego and Executive Director of the National Association on Alcohol, Drugs and Disability, Inc
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CABHP director Michael Shafer, Ph.D. emceed the event opening and introduced Dr. Laura Nelson, Acting Deputy Director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services (DBHS), who addressed the development and implementation of Recovery Support Services (RSS) in Arizona.
Approximately 45 participants attended the two days of training, entitled "Creating a Recovery-Oriented System of Care: Shifting the Paradigm," including service professionals from all levels from agencies and providers including La Frontera, Nova, Compass, Old Pueblo Community Services, TERROS, Community Partnership of Southern Arizona, and the Northern Arizona Regional Behavioral Health Authority.
The course provided participants with an overview of recovery orientation in addressing community alcohol and drug problems. The seminar also incorporated issues of policy as well as clinical practice and exposed participants to the latest thinking from behavioral health leaders in what some refer to as "The New Recovery Movement."
Delivered through a combination of pedagogical approaches, the program included lecture, PowerPoint, videos and interactive exercises. Attendees received 12 hours of accredited continuing education credit.
The event was organized in response to requests following De Miranda’s appearance at CABHP’s Summer Institute 2008 in July in Sedona, where he delivered a seminar on recovery. De Miranda also presented a breakout session at Summer Institute entitled "Project Connect: Alcohol, Drugs and Developmental Disabilities."
Click
here to view Dr. Nelson's introductory presentation on Arizona's Recovery Support Services.
Click below to view John de Miranda's seminar PowerPoint presentations.
NDIC details drug threats
The National Drug Intelligence Center (NDIC) has just issued its 2009 National Drug Threat Assessment report. It is a publicly available document which can be accessed online. Indian country is discussed in the report on pages 41-42. The report, which focuses on national and regional trends, makes a number of findings which may bear upon Indian country public safety.
For more information about NDIC, visit www.usdoj.gov/ndic.
SAHMSA reports on 'SPD'
Nationwide Report Reveals That More Than 1 in Every 10 Adults Experienced Serious Psychological Distress in the Past Year
Report shows that less than half of those with serious psychological distress received mental health services.
An estimated 24.3 million people aged 18 years or older experienced serious psychological distress (SPD) in the past year – and only 44.6 percent of them received any kind of mental health services, according to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Click here to access the full press release.
DOJ reports incarceration trends
One in 31 U.S. adults in prison, jail, on probabtion
According to the Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs report released Dec. 11:
More than 7.3 million men and women were under correctional supervision in the nation’s prisons or jails or on probation or parole at yearend 2007. About 3.2 percent of the U.S. adult population, or one in every 31 adults, was incarcerated or under community supervision at the end of 2007. This percentage has remained stable since reaching more than 3 percent in 1999.
About 70 percent (5.1 million) of the adults under correctional supervision at yearend 2007 were supervised in the community (either on probation or parole), and 30 percent (2.3 million) were incarcerated in the nation’s prisons or jails. Offenders held in custody in state or federal prisons or local jails increased by 1.5 percent since yearend 2006. The population under community supervision (either on probation or parole) increased 2.1 percent.
To view the complete report, Prisoners in 2007, visit: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/p07.htm
For more information about the Department of Justice Programs, visit: http://www.ojp.gov.
SAMHSA releases report
CSAT white paper examines suicide and substance abuse
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released a new white paper focusing on the current state of knowledge about the interrelationship between substance abuse and suicide. Entitled “Substance Abuse and Suicide Prevention: Evidence & Implications,” the document stresses substance abuse as a risk-factor for suicide and suicide attempts and the importance of continued learning about this connection to help prevent suicidal behavior.
The white paper provides an overview of the advances made over the past decade in the areas of substance abuse prevention and treatment, and suicide prevention-and then further examines how this knowledge can be effectively interwoven in suicide prevention efforts.
The first section of the white paper focuses on the epidemiology of suicide itself and presents a brief history of the growing focus on suicide as a public health issue of significant concern. The second section provides an overview of what we know and do not know of the impact of substance abuse on suicide risk. The final section of the document explores suicide prevention within the public health context of behavioral health promotion and illness prevention.This white paper was developed by SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and may be ordered on line at: http://www.samhsa.gov/matrix2/508SuicidePreventionPaperFinal.pdf.
Center to host two-day seminar
De Miranda to discuss Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care
The Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy (CABHP) will host a two-day training seminar on Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care Dec. 1-2 at the Arizona State University at the Tempe campus Memorial Union. Aimed at addictions treatment professionals, as well as administrators, policy makers and students, the 12-hour course will be delivered by John de Miranda, Ed.M., CEO of Stepping Stone of San Diego.
This training event follows up Mr. De Miranda’s appearance at the 9th Annual Summer Institute in Sedona last July, where he led a breakfast discussion on recovery-oriented systems of care. The presentation tied in with the Summer Institute theme, System Transformation in an Era of Recovery Oriented Services.
Dr. Laura Nelson, Acting Deputy Director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, will kick off the event Monday with a brief presentation providing the Arizona perspective on recovery-oriented systems of care. CABHP founder and director Michael Shafer, Ph.D. will also provide a brief presentation and introductions on Monday.
“Recovery oriented systems of care identify and build upon an individual’s own assets and strengths in the areas of competence and health,” said Dr. Nelson. “The purpose is to support an individual’s mastery over his or her own condition and life while regaining meaningful connections in the communities that are important to them.”
The 12-hour course will accommodate up to 150 participants and will address issues of policy as well as clinical practice, and the latest thinking from leaders of “The New Recovery Movement.” Participants should return to their organizations and communities prepared to initiate strategies consistent with a recovery-oriented system of care.
Click here for a complete course description and to register for the event.
Center looks at conference data
Summer Institute attendees help plans for future training events in Arizona
Results of surveys conducted at the Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy (CABHP) Summer Institute 2008 in Sedona in July of this year reveal the need for workforce development and recruitment to continue improving and diversifying the behavioral health field in Arizona.
With more than 250 conference attendees surveyed, nearly 70 percent were female with an average age of 47 and an average of 13 years experience in the field. More than three quarters of participants identified as white, while 17 percent were Latino, 4 percent African American, and 3 percent Native American.
Four of 10 attendees identified as licensed or certified with 60 percent citing continuing education credits, which are required for license renewal, as a primary goal of attendance. Administrative or management staff comprised nearly half of attendees, with nearly two thirds working in social work or addictions counseling. Other job classes recognized included psychology, criminal justice, training and education, and vocational rehabilitation.
Attendees tended to be well educated with more than half holding master’s degrees, and two thirds holding at least a bachelor’s. Eight percent of attendees hold a Ph.D.
Employing a five-point Likert scale, data collected also gauges participant reaction to the variety and quality of instruction provided, both overall and on a presenter-by-presenter basis. Summer Institute again this year scored high points for participant satisfaction with responses averaging between “useful” and “very useful,” the two top scores of the five response choices.
CABHP uses response data to plan and prepare future training events and conferences, including Summer Institute 2009, which will be held July 20-24 in Sedona. Keynote and breakout presenter selections will be informed by participant responses to try to meet the interests and needs of attendees.
For more information about Summer Institute 2009, as well as photos and downloadable presentations from the event, click here.
SAMHSA releases study results
Most Arizona clients received only outpatient services
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released details last month of findings from the 2005 Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS). The report provides information on treatment completion, length of stay in treatment, and demographic and substance use characteristics of nearly 1.5 million discharges from alcohol or drug treatment facilities in 34 state across the U.S.
Results specific to Arizona indicate more than 93 percent of approximately 35,000 treatment episodes compiled in the study included outpatient services, while less than 7 percent of those treated received other types of treatment, such as intensive outpatient (IOP), short-term residential, long-term residential, hospital or detox.
To view the complete TEDS report, click
here.
Center hosts Summer Institute 2008
Annual conference draws behavioral health professionals from around Arizona
The Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy (CABHP) and the Pacific Southwest Addiction Technology Transfer Center (PSATTC) hosted the 9th Annual Summer Institute July 14-18, 2008 in Sedona. The annual conference drew more than 350 participants from the behavioral health community, including practitioners and supervisors from agencies and health providers across Arizona.
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The weeklong event featured some of the top experts in behavioral health nationally, including keynote speakers David Shern, President and Executive Director of Mental Health America and Richard Rawson, Associate Director of the UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Program (ISAP).
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Dr. Shern opened the event with “The Health/Mental Health Imperative: Integration as the Only Sensible Alternative” and Dr. Rawson closed the conference with “Substance Abuse Treatment: The Next Generation.”
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For the complete story, photos and downloadable conference presentations, click here.
PSATTC offers leadership program
Center offers leadership development opportunity for addiction professionals
The Pacific Southwest Addiction Technology Transfer Center (PSATTC) announced the 2008 PSATTC Leadership Institute, an intensive leadership training program to rising leaders in the behavioral health field.
Leadership Institute is a new, unique leadership preparation program that provides a balance of traditional training seminars, distance education, and field experiences. The primary goal of the Leadership Institute is to cultivate new leaders within the addiction field through the enhancement of knowledge and development of competencies among new and emerging leaders.
This professional development opportunity is available to 15 addiction professionals in Arizona and California (the Pacific Southwest region) this year. Potential candidates must be nominated; nomination forms must be postmarked by June 30, 2008. Selected candidates will be notified by July 31, 2008.
For more information about Leadership Institute, click here.
Click here to download the nomination form.
For more information about PSATTC, visit www.psattc.org.
Report examines teen depression
SAMHSA: Depression affects 1 in 12 teens in US, risk twice as great for girls
About 2.1 million teens aged 12 to 17 experienced a major depressive episode in the past year, according to a new nationwide report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. For almost half of the teens, depression drastically reduced their abilities to deal with aspects of their daily lives, the report said.
Overall, 8.5 percent of adolescents, the equivalent of one in every 12, experienced a major depressive episode, but there were striking differences by gender, with 12.7 percent of females and 4.6 percent of males reporting the conditions.
Major Depressive Episode among Youths Aged 12 to 17 in the United States of America: 2006 also reveals the often devastating effect these major depressive episodes can have on adolescents. Nearly half of adolescents experiencing major depression (48.3 percent) report that it severely impaired their ability to function in at least one of four major areas of their everyday lives (home life, school/work, family relationships, and social life). Adolescents reporting the most severe impairment reported that they were unable to carry out normal activities on an average of 58.4 days in the past year.
The full report is available on the Web at:
For related publications and information, visit www.samhsa.gov
SAMHSA report spotlights trends
Arizona ranks high in national survey of mental health, substance use problems
Arizona ranks in the highest fifth (among the top five states) for both past month use of an illicit drug other than marijuana (aged 12 or older) and past year use of cocaine in 2005-06, according to State Estimates of Substance Use, a report recently released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
Based on the 2005-2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the report provides state-level estimates for 23 measures of substance use and mental health problems, including underage drinking, use of illicit drugs, serious psychological distress, major depression, and tobacco use.
“This report shows that although states may be uniquely affected by serious public health problems like underage drinking, every state and region must confront these issues,” said SAMHSA Administrator Terry Cline, Ph.D. “By highlighting the nature and scope of the challenges affecting each state, we can help focus and target substance abuse and mental illness prevention and treatment resources.”
The new report provides analyses of substance use and mental health patterns occurring in each state, revealing wide variations among the states in problems like illicit drug use and underage drinking.
Despite variations, no state was immune from these problems. Arizona also showed a significant increase in the use of illicit drugs other than marijuana among persons aged 12 or older – from 3.5 to 4.5, the highest rate of increase for this category in the survey.
Although there are some differences in the patterns of substance use and mental health problems experienced among states and regions, all parts of the country are seriously affected by these problems.
To view the full SAMHSA report, click below:
Center to evaluate treatment program
CABHP partners with Community Bridges for Peer Support Recovery Program (PSRP)
Arizona State University’s Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy (CABHP) has partnered with behavioral health services provider Community Bridges in a four-year evaluation Peer Support Recovery Program (PSRP).
Funded by a federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHA), the program will serve homeless people in Maricopa County by employing Peer Support Specialists to provide a range of services, including engaging in treatment and assistance accessing support services, such as health care, housing, employment and relapse prevention.
CABHP will provide two levels of evaluation to the project. First, the Center will monitor implementation and provide feedback to Community Bridges staff. Second, CABHP will evaluate program outcomes through collection and analysis of quantitative data, and by conducting focus groups with Peer Support Specialists.
For more information about Community Bridges, visit:
SAMHSA releases DASIS report
Report highlights substance abuse treatment rates over past decade
The federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released its Drug and Alcohol Services Information Systems (DASIS) report in January 2008. Based on an annual compilation of data on demographic characteristics and substance abuse problems of those admitted to treatment, the January report details changes in those rates by comparing results from 1995 and 2005. Brief finding of the report include:
- In the U.S., admission rates to substance abuse treatment facilities increased between 1995 and 2005 for marijuana, methamphetamine/amphetamine, and opiates other than heroin.
- In both 1995 and 2005, methamphetamine/amphetamine admission rates were generally highest in the Pacific and Mountain States.
- In both 1995 and 2005, marijuana treatment admission rates were generally highest in the West North Central and Pacific States.
In 2005, Arizona ranked near the middle of the range, with 47-107 admissions per 100,000 for methamphetamine treatment and 125-153 per 100,000 for marijuana.
Click
here to view the complete DASIS report.
CABHP report spotlights teens' needs
Focus groups clarify need to improve prevention, treatment in Arizona
The Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy (CABHP) issued a report summarizing the results of an analysis of the availability and gaps in substance abuse treatment for youth in Arizona. The report notes that in 2006, less than 4,000 youth received substance abuse treatment in Arizona, while federal estimates suggest that nearly 60,000 youth in Arizona used illicit drugs or engaged in binge drinking.
Results from more than 50 focus groups conducted by CABHP researchers note the need for smaller case loads and reduced paperwork, increased treatment and activities options, enhanced focus on prevention programming and the need for increased funding for treatment services.
Click here to view the report.
Center releases AFF report
Annual CABHP evaluation links substance abuse treatment to child safety
The Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy (CABHP) issued its evaluation of the Arizona Families F.I.R.S.T. program, jointly operated by the Arizona Department of Economic Security, Division of Children Youth and Families (DES/DCYF) and the Arizona Department of Health Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services (DBHS). During the past fiscal year, nearly 5,100 new individuals were referred into the program, an 8 percent increase over the previous evaluation period.
More than 3,100 clients received substance abuse treatment services with 60 percent demonstrating no drug use while in the program. More than 570 children – 25 percent of all children of AFF clients – achieved permanency, while the rate of recurrence of new substantiated reports to Child Protective Services (CPS) was only two percent, half the national average.
Click here to view the report.
Click here to learn more about AFF.
NIDA announces new Web site
New Web site to facilitate information-sharing among researchers
NIDA Networking Project intended to accelerate scientific discovery
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today announced the availability of a new website designed to encourage drug abuse researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to share information across disciplines, networks and institutions. The NIDA Networking Project (NNP) Website provides access to the locations, people, and resources of NIDA-sponsored research networks, including, for example, the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network (CTN) and the NIDA Genetics Consortium (NGC). The goal is to encourage cooperative scientific discussion and research collaboration to accelerate addiction science.
The principal Website features includes:
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An interactive US map with locations and contacts for nearly 200 NIDA network sites
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Network missions and descriptions
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Links to 15 network Websites with scientific protocols and papers, as well as, procedural policies and manuals
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NIDA news and events of interest to scientists, clinicians, and addiction specialists
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NNP Colleagues Directory—a searchable data base of network participants’ expertise and research interests.
The new Website was recommended by a group of network representatives convened by NIDA in July, 2006. The representatives later participated in beta testing the site to ensure that it met expectations. Additional networks and their resources will be added to the site in the coming months. The new website adds to NIDA’s extensive Web-based information about drug abuse and addiction for all audiences including the general public, practitioners, policymakers, and scientists.
Learn more about NNP at: http://nnp.drugabuse.gov
CABHP co-hosts 'Busting Myths'
Two-day event focuses on prevention, addressing disparities
Work group reports on progress
Improved youth needs assessment, recidivism reduction top concerns
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Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy (CABHP) Program Manager Vicki Staples and Arizona Supreme Court Juvenile Justice Services Division Information and Research Manager Amy Stuart presented on the progress of the Juvenile Justice Needs Assessment Work Group to identify a tool that will facilitate the identification of needs for juveniles statewide processed in the Arizona Court System. Initial recommendations, areas for additional consideration and a summary of findings from their Utah Site Visit were presented at the Nov. 7 Juvenile Administrators Meeting, at the Nov. 9 Committee on Juvenile Justice, and during a recent breakout session at the Administrative Office of the Courts Leadership Retreat Dec. 4 in Tucson.
Director Rob Lubitz introduced the project emphasizing the importance of implementing evidence-based practices, including the needs assessment tool incorporating the criminogenic risk factors. Key stakeholders including AOC staff, County Juvenile Administrators and Juvenile Court Judges from across Arizona were in attendance and provided additional suggestions for the workgroup.
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From left, Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy (CABHP) Program Manager Vicki Staples and Arizona Supreme Court Juvenile Justice Services Division Information and Research Manager Amy Stuart present findings from their Utah Needs Assessment Site Visit at the Nov. 7 Juvenile Administrators Meeting at the Administrative Office of the Courts.
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| The presentation included findings and recommendations based on the work of Juvenile Justice Needs Assessment Work Group, four of whom traveled to Utah in October to meet with their key leadership and learn more about their needs assessment tool and implementation process. In total, the work group assessed over 10 different assessment tools using consensus criteria developed to reach its conclusions. |
| The work group recommended a number of cultural changes within Arizona’s juvenile system, including greater reliance on science-based approaches and a tool to better assess needs and risk factors that will facilitate the development of case plans, levels of supervision and identify the need to refer to other agencies to improve outcomes for youths entering the justice system. The group’s key recommendation was to adopt the Arizona Department of Juvenile Justice (ADJC) Criminogenic and Protective Factors Assessment (CAPFA) as an initial starting point and modify the domains for use statewide. |
| “To ensure juveniles are successfully supported in the community and decrease recidivism, the risk and needs assessments must work in conjunction to identify the support, treatment and supervision needs of the youth and family,” said Stuart. “The needs assessment tool would facilitate the formulation of a case plan including both the frequency of and potential providers of needed services.” |
| Other work group partners include: the Administrative Office of the Courts, Arizona Co-Occurring State Incentive Grant, Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections, Arizona Department of Health Services/Division of Behavioral Health, and the Arizona Department of Economic Security/Division of Children, Youth and Families. |
| The Needs Assessment Work Group continues its efforts, with additional field reviews focus groups with stakeholders and program evaluations possible in future. |
Center releases annual COSIG report
Pilot project aims to bolster public safety through mental health, substance abuse treatment
The Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy announced this week the release of the Implementation Evaluation of the Arizona Department of Corrections’ Co-Occurring Services Pilot Project, a report on implementation during Phase I of the important study.
Funded by the Co-Occurring State Incentive Grant (COSIG), the pilot project aims improve public safety by delivering science-based mental health and substance abuse treatment to Arizona prison inmates diagnosed with co-occurring disorders.
“Every year, more than 17,000 prisoners are released from prison. Many of these prison¬ers have substance abuse and mental health problems, and many are released without adequate job skills and have no permanent place to live,” said Pat Beauchamp, CABHP’s Evaluation Manager for the COSIG project. “These individuals often relapse, committing new acts of crime to support their addiction. By offering effective treatment, we can help them break the cycle and live a produc¬tive life, benefiting themselves, their families, and the community.”
Key project goals include improving screening, reducing replication of data and forms, improving collaboration across agencies, and implementing best practices for care and treatment.
Collaborating with the Governor’s Office of Children Youth and Families (GOCYF), Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC), Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (ADJC), Arizona Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), Arizona Regional Behavioral Health Authorities (RBHAs), and community providers, CABHP engages in four specific tasks to meet the goals of the project:
- Design and implement a standardized screening and assessment process to identify co-occurring disorders;
- Design, implement, and evaluate a Services Pilot Project (SPP) that provides integrated, evidence-based treatment to adult offenders with co-occurring disorders, both during and after release;
- Increase collaboration between agencies by building policy consensus and integrating diverse data sets so that information can be shared securely and easily; and
- Develop a highly competent workforce through development of curricula, the establishment of an interagency task force, and the recruitment of a diverse, competent staff.
The complete report is available as a PDF for download at: COSIG Implementation Evaluation Report
For more information, visit:
http://www.cabhp.asu.edu
http://www.oldpueblofoundation.org
http://www.compasshc.org
http://www.coce.samhsa.gov
http://www.governor.state.az.us/cyf
http://www.azdhs.gov
http://www.azcorrections.gov
http://www.juvenile.state.az.us