Introduction to and overview of SAMHSA and CSAT's Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment initiative

The SBIRT program represents a major advance in the basic approach to addressing substance use issues and the role of the specialty and healthcare treatment systems. Because research has shown that Brief Intervention and Brief Treatment are effective for a range of alcohol and drug problems, health workers and policy makers have increasingly focused on them to fill the gap between primary prevention efforts and specialty treatment for persons with serious substance use disorders. Like other practices developed in tightly controlled research settings, it is important to understand how SBIRT works best in various settings using different approaches. It is also important to examine which approaches to SBIRT may offer the greatest potential to improve the U.S. treatment system now and in the future. To this end, CSAT funded a Cross-Site Evaluation Team consisting to conduct a multisite evaluation of the effects of SBIRT as implemented in six States and one Tribal Organization.

This presentation will discuss SAMHSA and CSAT's programmatic efforts to implement SBIRT at the Federal level including grantees' approaches s (i.e. different health care settings and populations served) and the family of Federal activities on SBIRT in terms of program, funding, and future steps. CSAT provides grantee leadership and technical assistance to support grantees throughout the challenges of implementing a large-scale initiative. By providing such guidance, CSAT has learned many lessons for SBIRT as a screening and treatment initiative as well as practical lessons for operating a nationwide grant program focused on a major, successful innovation.