Massachusett's experience with federal, state, and insurance funded SBIRT projects

One major area of focus in MA Bureau of Substance Abuse Services' (BSAS) 2005 Strategic Plan is to: “Expand screening, assessment and referral activities.” To this end, Massachusetts has implemented three separate Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment (SBIRT) initiatives: 1) the state applied for and became a SAMHSA SBIRT grantee in 2006. The MASBIRT project, a collaborative effort with Boston Medical Center (BMC), is in its 2nd year and is screening on inpatient floors, in hospital EDs, in primary care settings, affiliated Community Health Centers and an affiliated hospital; 2) MA funded the Boston University School of Public Health BNI-ART Institute to implement a SBIRT model in 6 hospital emergency departments across the state; and 3) In collaboration with the DPH Bureau of Family and Community Health, the BSAS funded 32 community health centers across the state to implement SBIRT in clinics for women of childbearing age and adolescents. Each of these projects requires different implementation, capacity development, and change management strategies. This presentation will focus on the strategies for implementation and sustainability for various SBIRT models; leveraging of funding, knowledge and technology development in each project; and lessons learned.