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Abstract

Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an important secondary prevention strategy to address substance use and depression risk beginning in youth and continuing across the lifespan. Ten healthcare settings in Virginia implemented the SBIRT model between 2017 and 2020. A total of 65,315 participants ages 18 and older were universally screened to determine the severity of their substance use and depression and offered a risk-informed intervention. 12.7 percent of individuals endorsed some level of risky substance use and 4.5 percent screened positive for depression overall (11.1 percent in the outpatient setting). 10 percent of all brief intervention recipients were enrolled for follow-up screening 6 months later. Younger adults had significantly greater prevalence of risky drug use and depression compared to older age groups while middle-age adults displayed higher prevalence of moderate to severe alcohol risk highlighting the need for early intervention among younger adults. Significant reductions were observed in risky alcohol use (52.2%), as well as illicit drug use (44.7%) and depression (63.0%).

Key Take Away Points

  • 65,315 participants ages 18 and older were universally screened to determine the severity of their substance use and depression and offered a risk-informed intervention.
  • 12.7 percent of individuals endorsed some level of risky substance use
  • Younger adults had significantly greater prevalence of risky drug use and depression compared to older age groups while middle-age adults displayed higher prevalence of moderate to severe alcohol risk highlighting the need for early intervention among younger adults.
  • Significant reductions were observed in risky alcohol use (52.2%), as well as illicit drug use (44.7%) and depression (63.0%).

Author Biography

Dr. Lora Peppard is the Deputy Director for Treatment and Prevention for the Washington/Baltimore HIDTA and the Director of ADAPT: A Division for Advancing Prevention & Treatment in the Center for Drug Policy and Prevention at the University of Baltimore. Prior to her appointment with HIDTA, she was an Associate Professor at George Mason University and Project Director for several federally funded substance use and behavioral health prevention grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Health Resources and Services Administration. Dr. Peppard is committed to translating and integrating substance use prevention programs, practices, and strategies into communities. Dr. Peppard has 15 years of clinical experience as a psychiatric nurse practitioner in emergency, inpatient and outpatient settings. She has developed innovative, system-wide programs to address the unmet substance use and behavioral health needs of underserved, military, and serious mental illness (SMI) populations. She serves as a community, state, and national consultant on substance use and behavioral health prevention models. She has authored several peer-reviewed publications on her work.

Acknowledgements

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funded this project and provided parameters; however, the design of the project, selection of screening instruments, training, implementation, data collection and analysis, and evaluation activities were completed by the Virginia SBIRT team. The views and opinions contained in the publication do not necessarily reflect those of SAMHSA or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and should not be construed as such.

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