« July 2014 Issue

New Initiative Aims to Stop Substance Use Disorders Before They Start

The destructive effects of substance use disorders are on the rise. More people are dying from drug overdoses than from car accidents or any other type of injury-related death, and 1 in 10 deaths of working-aged adults (ages 20 to 64) are attributable to excessive drinking.

To help fight the overdose epidemic and prevent substance use disorders in the next generation, Community Catalyst recently launched a new initiative focused on youth, ages 15 to 22, promoting a public health approach called Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT). SBIRT encompasses a variety of techniques that screen for risky substance use and work to prevent substance misuse and addiction. This three-year project will support issue campaigns in five states to expand use of SBIRT.

The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation is the lead funder; matching funds are coming from Shatterproof, The Peter and Elizabeth C. Tower Foundation, and sources in the five states. Support from the Open Society Foundations for initiatives to expand coverage of substance use disorder services laid the groundwork for this project.

There is strong evidence of SBIRT’s effectiveness in young adults 18 and older, and a growing number of studies indicating positive effects on children. SBIRT is endorsed for children by the federal government and by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

“Kids are starting at younger and younger ages to abuse substances,” said Alice Dembner, Community Catalyst’s Substance Use Disorders Project director. “Those who start using at a young age – particularly in their early teenage years through early 20s – are the most likely to become addicted later in life.  That’s why early intervention is critical.”

Diverse coalitions made up of health care advocacy organizations and groups representing the interests of youth in Georgia, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio and Wisconsin will work to educate the public about SBIRT and advance policy initiatives to encourage insurers to pay for this service. Community Catalyst will provide coaching and support to help the state partners identify policy priorities, mount effective campaigns, and share best practices across campaigns.

“The Affordable Care Act really sets the table for an expansion of screening and early intervention for substance use disorders because we’re expanding the number of people who have access to health coverage,” said Dembner.

The Affordable Care Act increases the number of people covered and expands access to preventive services and to treatment for substance use disorders. However, many state Medicaid programs and some private insurers don’t yet pay for SBIRT. Advocates in each of the five states will work to ensure that private and public insurers are sufficiently paying for SBIRT services.

In addition to ensuring policies to support SBIRT are in place, the project will also work to increase the locations where services are available and the number and type of professionals who can conduct the screening and brief intervention.

“We’re looking to work in a range of settings, and we’re interested in seeing SBIRT expanded in the pediatrician’s office,” said Dembner. “We have a wonderful pediatrician who works with us and he was the reason we first got interested in SBIRT, because of his own frustrations with trying to make sure that kids were screened appropriately for drug and alcohol use.”

In addition to increasing screening in the doctor’s office, the project will promote screening in places where young adults spend a significant amount of time, such as community centers and schools.

With the public’s increased focus on substance use disorders, much of the attention has been on treatment for people who have become addicted. However, focusing on preventing substance misuse in the first place or helping people before they become addicted is vital to ending the epidemic.

“The statistics are so powerful,” said Dembner. “For every dollar spent on SBIRT, we save four dollars on treatment. If we can prevent it, why aren’t we doing this?”

Christine Lindberg, Digital Communications Specialist

O N   T H E   W I R E

Health Care Advocacy is on the Move! Longtime collaborators Community Catalyst, Health Care for All and Health Law Advocates are moving to new office space. After September 20, you can find us at One Federal Street in downtown Boston. We want to offer our thanks and appreciation to Attorney Diane McDermott who negotiated the lease for our new space pro bono. Diane is a partner at Holland & Knight's Boston office and a member of the firm's Real Estate Practice. Thanks to Diane for her work on our behalf. Stay tuned for more news about the move in upcoming editions.

Community Catalyst Executive Director Robert Restuccia and former President and CEO of UMass Memorial Health Care, Inc., John O’Brien, write in Health Affairs that the ACA provides hospitals and communities with an important opportunity to come together to build a more sustainable health system.

Our new report, “Connecting Consumers to Coverage: Mobilizing for Enrollment,” shares the story of the unique and important role state consumer health advocates played in helping 12 million consumers gain coverage during the first Affordable Care Act open enrollment period.

As coverage rates improve and the ACA is fully implemented, what’s next in health care? Read our new blog series, Better Bang for the Buck, that looks at the interrelated issues of health care costs and quality from a consumer point of view.

Community Catalyst Senior Policy Analyst, Christine Barber, explains in POLITICO how even people who are aware that financial assistance is part of the ACA don’t always realize that they may qualify and benefit from the law.

Boston led the way in June in offering coverage for transgender health care services and the state of Massachusetts quickly followed suit. Community Catalyst is proud to have worked with state and local advocates in promoting these policy changes to ensure that transgender city employees receive comprehensive benefits that cover all of their health needs. Read our blog post here.

Join us in welcoming our new staff members: Tera Bianchi, Ashley Blackburn, Amanda McIntosh, Gabrielle Novello, Nell O'Connell, Melissa Ough, Jessicah Pierre, Emily Polk, Amanda Ptashkin, and Rachelle Rubinow.

Media Contact

Jack Cardinal
Deputy Director of Communications
617-275-2923 
jcardinal@communitycatalyst.org

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