Impact of co-location of substance abuse and chronic disease treatment

Issues: The Addiction Research and Treatment Corporation (ARTC) is an outpatient opioid treatment program providing onsite primary medical care and HIV-related care for approximately 3,000 predominantly minority adults in New York City. There is substantial literature on the positive impact of co-location of substance abuse treatment and treatment of co-morbidities such as HIV disease and psychiatric illness. However, no literature looks at the impact of co-location of substance abuse treatment and treatment of co¬-morbidities such as hypertension and Type 2 diabetes mellitus, particularly for racial/ethnic minority substance abusers.

Description: We propose a retrospective chart review research study to assess this impact. The aims are to assess the impact of (1) substance abuse treatment and treatment for hypertension and Type 2 diabetes mellitus at ARTC on outcomes for substance abuse compared with patients in substance abuse treatment not treated for hypertension and Type 2 diabetes mellitus at ARTC; (2) substance abuse treatment and treatment of hypertension at ARTC on outcomes for hypertension compared with patients in substance abuse treatment not treated for hypertension at ARTC; and, (3) length of stay in substance abuse treatment on outcomes for hypertension and Type 2 diabetes mellitus treated at ARTC.

Lessons Learned: With an aging population of patients in opioid treatment programs, these co-morbidities take on added significance from an individual patient care and public health perspective.

Recommendations: Substance abuse treatment programs providing medical services can be laboratories for demonstrating whether the benefits of continuity of care extend beyond the general population