Translation of SBIRT Technology from research to real-life medical settings: State and Local Perspectives

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) is funding the California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs (CA SBIRT) $3.485 million per year for 5 years to reduce substance use by screening and providing brief intervention and brief treatment to nondependent adult substance users in Federally Qualified Health Centers, emergency departments/trauma centers, and primary care clinics. Peer health educators conduct screening to raise patients' awareness of the risks of their substance use, assess their motivation for change, and help them make a commitment to use self-management skills to change their use. Brief treatment consists of six to twelve sessions by SBIRT-trained counselors for those individuals who, based on an assessment, will be able to resolve their AOD problems through brief treatment services. Patients identified with possible Substance Dependence Disorders are told about their advanced level of risk. They are then referred to a specialist treatment provider for sequential assessment and the development of a treatment regimen in a clinically appropriate setting. This presentation will highlight the model selected for SBIRT implementation by the State and challenges faced in putting it into operation.