Date: 08/10/2009

Final
Update on Screening and Brief Intervention Program

HEALTH CARE TASK FORCE

Votes: View--> Action Taken:
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09:34 AM -- Update on Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Program

Carmelita Muniz, Executive Director of the Colorado Providers Association, began the presentation on the Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) program. An outline of her presentation and two packets of information related to the SBIRT program were distributed to the committee (Attachments B through D).

090810AttachB.pdf 090810AttachC.pdf 090810AttachD.pdf

09:40 AM


Leigh Fischer, Program Manager, SBIRT Colorado, described the SBIRT program. She explained that in 2006, Colorado received a five-year grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to implement the initiative. She described the public and private partnerships that support the program and gave an overview of the services offered through the program. She described the program's goal, which is to implement standard drug and alcohol screenings at medical interventions. She discussed the brief intervention component of the program, stating that even short conversations regarding drug and alcohol abuse can impact behavior. The target population of the program is nondependent users of alcohol and drugs. About 60,000 individuals have been screened through the program, and about 11 percent of those screened through the program were in the target population of users who are in danger of becoming addicted to alcohol or drugs.

09:50 AM

Dr. Kerry Broderick discussed the use of the SBIRT program in medical settings and the importance of screening programs in decreasing the incidence of diseases. Carolyn Swenson, Project Manager, Colorado Clinical Guidelines Collaborative (CCGC), described the CCGC, noting that the collaborative's goal is to disseminate the latest evidence related to the treatment of diseases. She highlighted two clinical guidelines completed by the CCGC, including a guideline on preventative health care and the SBIRT guideline. The guidelines are being promoted to physicians as tools to use in their interactions with patients. Ms. Fischer responded to a question from Representative Frangas regarding long-term outcomes data related to the SBIRT program. Ms. Swenson responded to questions from Representative Massey regarding prevention activities related to smoking. Ms. Fischer responded to additional questions from the committee regarding barriers to implementing the SBIRT program.