Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #107274

Traci Rieckmann, PhD, Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Oregon Health Sciences University, 3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Road, Portland, OR 97201-3098, 503-577-3414, rieckman@ohsu.edu

Although states have been encouraged in recent years to increase the use of evidence-based treatment practices in their states, budget crises have made this goal increasingly more difficult to accomplish. This paper focuses on how different states are struggling with financial crises amidst a backdrop of pressure to provide financial incentives to increase adoption of evidence-based practices within their jurisdictions. The paper highlights how one state, Oregon, has attempted to address this problem. During the 2003 legislative session, Oregon passed legislation, Senate Bill 267 (SB 267), which outlined explicit goals for the proportion of state funds to be spent on evidenced-based services in certain agencies. SB 267 aims to reduce criminal justice involvement and emergency mental health treatment through the mandated application of evidence-based practices. The legislation goes into effect July 1, 2005, and applies to services in the Department of Corrections, Oregon Youth Authority, State Commission on Children and Families, and the Office of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OMHAS). This paper outlines the plan to prospectively evaluate the implementation of this legislation in Oregon and its impacts on addiction treatment services within that state. The evaluation will incorporate process and outcome data to track changes in practices and outcomes over time. Strategic plans related to the definitions of evidence-based practices, diffusion strategies, fidelity measures, and administrative rules will be discussed. Implications for policy and substance use dependence treatment in Oregon and other states will be discussed.

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