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Behavioral Health Promotion, Treatment, and Recovery Projects
Substance Abuse and Infectious Disease Cross-training Initiative
Conducted by the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Center for Disease Control, and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, this interagency training initiative was designed to accomplish systems change by increasing the knowledge, awareness, and skills among providers and trainers within infectious disease (HIV, STDs, TB, and hepatitis), substance abuse, criminal justice, mental health, and homeless service systems. HSR was involved in providing technical assistance (TA) and training at the State and local levels, facilitating a collaborative planning process, developing a multidisciplinary training curriculum, managing the logistics of training sessions, and conducting a thorough evaluation.
Community Mental Health Services Block Grant Evaluation
HSR is conducting the national, independent evaluation of the Community Mental Health Services (CMHS) Block Grant of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Center for Mental Health Services. This block grant is the only program that provides funds to every State and Territory for the development of a comprehensive, community-based system of care for individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) and severe emotional disturbance (SED) who have no mental health coverage.
The evaluation includes a comprehensive examination of Federal and State resources, processes, and outputs related to the Block Grant. Every State and Territory that receives block grant funds will be included in this evaluation, and many mental health stakeholders will be asked to participate in surveys and interviews conducted by HSR. The evaluation is designed to assess whether the block grant program is efficient, effective, and achieving positive results for the populations it serves.
Post-September 11 State Disaster Relief Grant Program Report
HSR recently completed a report on the achievements of the Post-September 11 State Disaster Relief Grant Program funded by SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). CSAT awarded the grants to help ensure the provision of substance abuse and mental health assessment and treatment services for individuals and communities directly impacted by the September 11 disasters. The report details the accomplishments of eight States and the District of Columbia and provides information on crosscutting objectives, activities, products, lessons learned, and future directions of the grant recipients. Printed copies of the report may be ordered through SAMHSA's National Clearinghouse for Drug and Alcohol Information at 1-800-729-6686. The report may be accessed electronically at:
- http://www.samhsa.gov./Disaster/disaster_grant04.aspx
State Health Care Reform TA and Knowledge Synthesis and Dissemination Project
For more than a decade, under contracts with CSAT, HSR has assisted State treatment agencies in responding to the requirements of health care reform, individual State initiatives, and new Federal regulations such as those of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. We work with States to develop policies that facilitate access to services designed to meet individual needs. We also support State treatment agencies to work collaboratively with mental health, primary care, and criminal justice systems.
Recovery Community Services Program
HSR has been the technical assistance (TA) center for CSAT's Recovery Community Services Program since 1998. This program is designed to encourage recovery communities to identify and to build consensus around substance abuse treatment and delivery systems issues and practices. We currently are assisting program grantees in the development and provision of peer-driven recovery support services. This work entails working with CSAT officials on program design and implementation; providing onsite TA (including peer TA); preparing TA briefs and guides; and collaborating with CSAT and grantees on identifying, synthesizing, and communicating lessons learned.
Mental Health Services Delivery
HSR supports a Center for Mental Health Services initiative to obtain consumers' perspectives on mental health treatment, rehabilitation, and support services. This information is gathered during major mental health conferences in which consumers are invited to participate. In preparation for these meetings, HSR solicits applications from consumers who wish to receive scholarship assistance, reviews the applications, and makes recommendations for the award of scholarships. We also coordinate participants' logistical needs. After the meetings, we draft policy recommendations from the consumers' perspectives into reports that are published in both paper and electronic formats.
CSAT Opioid Treatment Disaster Planning Study
HSR is studying the feasibility of designing a data system to track the dosage levels of methadone clients in the New York City metropolitan area who receive this therapy at clinics other than their home clinic. During emergencies, the lack of a reliable mechanism to provide accurate information about these individuals is a major weakness in the opioid treatment system. On the basis of input from a series of stakeholder meetings, we will identify data systems to address this issue and summarize our recommendations in a report. The recommendations will guide the development of a pilot program in the New York City metropolitan area.
CSAT Opioid Treatment Program Accreditation Evaluation Project
HSR provides assessment services for a study of the policy implications of the opioid accreditation initiative, the costs of accreditation, and how the provision of opioid treatment services has changed. We will gather and evaluate data from more than 1,100 opioid treatment programs. The results of the study will be used to improve the opioid treatment program accreditation process at the local level.
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