The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #43945

JoAnn Y. Sacks, PhD, Center for the Integration of Research & Practice, National Development & Research Institutes, 71 West 23rd St., 8th Floor, New York, NY 10010, (212) 845-4648, jysacks@hotmail.com and Stanley Sacks, PhD, Center for the Integration of Research & Practice, National Development and Research Institutes, Inc., 71 W 23 Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10010.

The Dual Assessment and Recovery Track (DART) creates a treatment model specifically for those with co-occurring disorders (COD), implemented within a TC-oriented outpatient substance abuse treatment program. DART improves service delivery for individuals with COD by 1) providing on-site psychiatric assessment; 2) enhancing treatment with new interventions to address mental health and dual disorder recovery; and, 3) developing the client’s own ability to obtain help from community agencies. The research plan screens all new admissions to the Gaudenzia outpatient substance abuse treatment program for evidence of COD, then randomly assigns those eligible either to 1) the Experimental group that receives the original outpatient program enhanced by the DART interventions; or 2) the Comparison group that receives the standard outpatient drug treatment program with no enhancements and with linked psychiatric services. This presentation also will focus on the challenges faced in implementing DART within a substance abuse treatment agency (i.e., staff training, client education) and in conducting a rigorous evaluation containing multiple follow-up points within an outpatient setting; the solutions that evolved will be described and discussed. Preliminary data will be presented on the prevalence of COD, diagnosis and service delivery. The DART project has the potential to advance the field by extending the ability of drug treatment agencies to deliver effective treatment in outpatient settings for the high proportion of substance abusing clients who also have mental disorders.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this session, the participant will be able to

• Articulate the key components of an outpatient treatment model for individuals with co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse disorders, as implemented in a substance abuse treatment setting
• Understand the array and severity of client diagnoses found in substance abuse treatment settings
• Describe the approaches to successful implementation of co-occurring treatments in substance abuse treatment settings

Keywords: Mental Illness, Substance Abuse Treatment

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.