Donna Atkinson, PhD¹, Kevin P. Mulvey, PHD², James W. Luckey, PhD¹, Maurice Wilson, PhD³, and Deepa Avula⁴. (1) Substance Abuse Research Group, Westat, 1650 Research Blvd., Rockville, MD 20850, (240)453-2761, DonnaAtkinson@Westat.com, (2) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockwall II, Suite 740, Rockville, MD 20852, (3) Psychology, Coppin State University, 2500 West North Ave, Baltimore, MD 21216, (4) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 5515 Security Lane, Rockwall II, Suite 840, Rockville, MD 20852

Substance abuse treatment agencies are continually exploring the effectiveness of their programs. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) has a discretionary portfolio that is comprised of over 500 Targeted Capacity Expansion (TCE) treatment agencies. These TCE grants are charged with expanding the capacity of organizations to provide treatment services and expanding the types of services offered to clients in their communities. Populations served by these grants include African Americans, American Indian, Latinos, adolescents, and women. The grants are located all acrosss the country and include reservations, urban, and rural settings.

SAMHSA is required by the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA) to develop and monitor performance measures so that it can demonstrate accountability for its programs. In a national exploration and evaluation of the TCE grant program, CSAT examined five measures of importance to the agency. These five measures are: substance use, education and employment, criminal activity, living conditions, and mental and physical health. In addition to exploring clients’ substance use, the agency is also interested in the impact that other factors have on society, such as criminal activity and employment.

This paper presents the results of the evaluation of the TCE grant program and examines the treatment outcomes achieved by clients in these programs. The analysis is based on a database of nearly 200,000 client records. Data points included in the analyses are interviews conducted at intake, 6 months and 12 months after intake.

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss findings of a national evaluation of substance abuse treatment programs.
• Discuss substance abuse treatment outcomes in five domains.

Keywords: Outcome Measures, 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.