The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #46641

Mark S. Salzer, PhD¹, Jeanie Whitecraft², Bill Burns-Lynch², and Joseph Rogers². (1) Center for Mental Health Policy and Services Research, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104, (2) Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, 520 North Delaware Ave., 2nd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19123

Lifetime rates of substance use disorders (SUD) is thought to occur among 40-60% of persons with severe mental illness and is consistently found to adversely impact the course of the mental illness and response to treatment, psychosocial functioning, and cost of care. Community-based psychosocial programs, such as Friends Connection, a program in Philadelphia run by the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania (MHASP), offers a promising approach to assisting the recovery of persons with co-occurring SUD and mental illness through the use of peers who provide support and mentoring as the person attempts to build a new, substance-free life in the community. Friends Connection attempt to assist persons in building a new set of behaviors, cognitions, social networks, and interests, essentially a new life, that avoid substances. The presenters will provide information on the theory underlying the Friends Connection program and provide a description of how the program operates, as well as its place in the Philadelphia mental health system. Finally, Friends Connection is conducting a randomized study examining its effectiveness that is funded by SAMHSA and is part of their Consumer-Operated Services Program initiative. One-hundred and twenty-seven people have been recruited for this study and data collection is on-going. Early results on the Friends Connection program will be presented.

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