Targeted Street-Outreach: Factors Impacting Time Elapse from Initial Contact to Treatment Entry and Its Implications for Treatment Completion

A number of approaches have been recommended to increase treatment admission and retention among individuals with substance use disorders (SUD), among these is rapid intake (Booth et al., 2003, 2004; Festinger et al., 1996; Dennis et al., 1994). Research by the World Health Organization (2004) also indicates that the farther into the future an intake appointment or admission date is set, the less likely an individual is to attend. SAFE-T, a CSAT-funded street-outreach program in Central New York, provides educational information on HIV, Hepatitis, and substance abuse, as well as rapid HIV testing to the community. Information on substance abuse services, rapid referrals to an appropriate level of care/service and transportation are provided to clients based on their needs and requests. The primary goal of the SAFE-T evaluation is to determine if targeted street-outreach and rapid entry to treatment results in improved outcomes for program clients. Using data from more than 4,000 outreach contacts and 200 client interviews at treatment entry and six-month follow-up, this presentation examines (1) factors influencing the amount of time elapsing between initial outreach-contact and treatment entry; and (2) the degree to which the time between initial contact and treatment entry impacts treatment completion and the number of days in treatment. The results of multivariate analyses that control for demographic differences, contextual factors, treatment modality and other salient variables are presented and implications assessed.