News Release

HHS Announces $17.5 Million for Illinois Brief Interventions to Deal with People at Risk of Dependence on Alcohol or Drugs

This cooperative agreement is designed to expand the continuum of care available to include screening, brief interventions, referrals and brief treatment.  The community and medical settings, such as schools and health clinics, will have the capacity to refer dependent persons to more intense specialized substance abuse treatment services, when needed. 

"This grant will make it easier for local professionals in Illinois to offer a helping hand to those who engage in risky behavior involving alcohol and drugs," Secretary Thompson said.  "Left unchecked, these behaviors can lead to deeper dependency that makes recovery more difficult." 

John Walters, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, noted: “Prevention is a critical part of our balanced strategy.  Investments in prevention yield long-lasting payoffs in people’s lives and communities.  We also know that early intervention is critical.  Today’s announcement is in keeping with a new focus on encouraging people around young people to help them stop drug use before it becomes a problem.”

The award by HHS’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will be renewable by the state for up to five years, depending on outcomes and availability of funding. 

“This award will allow community health centers, school-based health clinics and student assistance programs, occupational health clinics, hospitals, and emergency departments to conduct brief interventions that can reorient many people away from behavior, that unchecked can lead to addiction,” SAMHSA Administrator Charles G. Curie said.  “SAMHSA is helping states add brief interventions to their spectrum of care, so that substance abuse treatment is addressed before the patient needs residential care or intensive outpatient care, to overcome addictions to alcohol and drugs.”

The Illinois initiative will expand the State's continuum of care by implementing screening, brief intervention, referral, and brief treatment (SBIRT), coupled with motivational enhancement therapy and recovery management at hospitals, emergency rooms and clinics operated by the Cook County Bureau of Health Services and in selected specialist substance abuse treatment programs.

The sites selected for participation are Stroger, Provident and Oak Forest Hospitals, six health centers in the Austin, Logan Square, Englewood, Near South, and Woodlawn community areas of Chicago, and one clinic in south suburban Ford Height.  While brief intervention protocols are implemented at these sites, brief treatment, and recovery management protocols will be implemented, as well at participating specialist substance abuse treatment agencies.

At initiation of clinical activities, SBIRT counselors in hospital units and in health centers will perform all healthcare system-based SBIRT services including screening, simple advice, brief intervention, assessment and referral to specialized substance abuse treatment, where brief treatment and standard treatment modalities will be provided as appropriate. This work will be transitioned to primary care practitioners over time.

SBIRT community care coordinators will assist in linking hospitalized substance-dependent patients to substance abuse treatment and to their first ambulatory health care appointment.  It is anticipated that, over the life of the project, 117,500 individuals seeking primary care services will be screened, 20,160 will receive brief interventions, and 6,490 will be referred for treatment services.  Of these, 2,400 will receive brief treatment, and 1,670 will receive recovery management services.

SAMHSA is a public health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  The agency is responsible for accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the nation’s substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment and mental health service delivery systems.

 

This page was last updated on 07 November, 2003
SAMHSA is An Agency of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services