PA SBIRT Newsletter

Issue 5, April 2019

IN THIS ISSUE:

PA SBIRT is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration:

SAMHSA, TI026666

For more information:Dianne Schrode717.736.7473dschrode@pa.gov

Welcome to the fifth issue of the PA SBIRT Newsletter, a quarterly publicationdedicated to the PA SBIRT initiative. In this and future issues, we will featureprogress reports, quarter recaps, PA SBIRT Project Site spotlights, and more. Wehope that you find this information helpful and encourage you to share with others!

Pennsylvania Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (PA SBIRT) isa five-year initiative that will provide SBIRT services to over 20,000 patientsthroughout the Commonwealth by September 2021. SBIRT is a comprehensive andintegrated public health approach to the delivery of screening, early intervention,and treatment services employing empirically-based and clinically useful practicesto circumvent harmful consequences from substance use.

The project is directed by the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and AlcoholPrograms (DDAP) and The University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, ProgramEvaluation and Research Unit (PERU). Funding for the project is granted throughthe Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Centerfor Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). All data is collected and reported inaccordance with the Government and Performance Results (GPRA) Act of 2010.

Welcome!

The PA SBIRT Initiative

The PA SBIRT Vision: To ensure that every patient in our primary care clinics receives the right screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment

(SBIRT) services by the right providers every time.

Page 1:

– The PA SBIRT Initiative

Page 2:

– Progress Report

– Quarter Recap

– The PA SBIRT Website

Page 3:

– Project Site Spotlight:EMPOWER3 Center for Health

Page 4:

– Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin Summit

Page 5:

– SBIRT in the News

– Message from the Program Director

– Contact Information

• • •

The PA SBIRT Team would like to thank the staff of participating project sites and SCAs, who dedicate their time and effort to ensure

that every patient receives the right SBIRT services every time.

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Pennsylvania Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment

Progress Report

Quarter Recap

To date, the PA SBIRT initiative has partnered with four healthcare sites in Pennsylvania, EMPOWER3 Center for

Health, Altoona Family Physicians, and UPMC Pregnancy Care Center in Blair County and Sharon Medical Group in

Mercer County. Together, these sites have provided SBIRT services to a total of 8,817 unduplicated patients,

conducted 2,414 brief interventions, and connected 480 patients to treatment services. The PA SBIRT

Implementation Team is actively working to partner with additional healthcare sites, and SBIRT services will soon

begin at Forbes Family Medicine in Allegheny County.

Altoona Family Physicians has provided 653 briefinterventions and connected 66 patients to treatment.

Sharon Medical Group has provided 789 briefinterventions and connected 28 patients to treatment.

EMPOWER3 has provided 805 brief interventions andconnected 277 patients to treatment.

Month Site Visits & Trainings Deliverables

January

2019

• Altoona Family Physicians (AFP) Site

Visit: Clinical Staff

• UPMC Pregnancy Care Center (PCC) Site

Visit• EMPOWER3 Site Visit: Clinical Staff

• January Monthly Data Report

• AFP/PCC Site Visit Report

• EMPOWER3 Site Visit Report

February

2019

• Sharon Medical Group (SMG) Site Visit

• AFP/PCC Site Visit: Care Coordinator

• February Monthly Data Report

• SMG Site Visit Report

March

2019

• AFP/PCC Site Visit: Clinical Staff and

Providers

• PA SBIRT Project Poster

• AFP/PCC Site Visit Report

• Forbes Family Medicine Workflow Protocol

• Patient Refusals Quarter Pager

UPMC Pregnancy Care Center has provided 167 briefinterventions and connected 109 patients to treatment.

Learn about the Care Coordinator Working Group Forum!

Over the past several months, PA SBIRT Care Coordinators indicated an interest indeveloping an online Care Coordinator Working Group Forum. The PA SBIRT Websitenow features this forum where Care Coordinators share successes, challenges, andresources. The forum is available with enrollment on the PA SBIRT website:http://www.pasbirt.pharmacy.pitt.edu

Forbes Family Medicine will implement SBIRT in May 2019.

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Pennsylvania Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment

EMPOWER3 Center for Health began implementation ofSBIRT services on March 6, 2017. Since the first year ofimplementation, the Care Coordinator and Site Championhave worked with clinical staff to seamlessly integrateSBIRT into the clinical workflow. In March 2019,EMPOWER3 staff celebrated completing 10,000 SBIRTscreenings. This achievement reflects EMPOWER3 staff’seffort and dedication to optimal patient care. To date,EMPOWER3 has screened 10,936 total patients (includingduplicate screens), provided 805 brief interventions, andconnected 277 patients to treatment services. EMPOWER3

continues to expand access to healthcare in the Blair Countycommunity through it’s innovative fee-per-monthhealthcare model.

Project Site Spotlight: EMPOWER3 Center for Health

EMPOWER3 staff’s dedication to the PA SBIRT Initiative and their patients is truly inspiring. EMPOWER3 staff members are change agents in their community and have invested much of their time in providing SBIRT services,

thereby allowing those around them to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. It has been a pleasure working with EMPOWER3 and their wonderful staff who continue to accomplish the goals of PA SBIRT.

--Vanessa Baaklini, PA SBIRT Research Specialist at Program Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU)

Congratulations, EMPOWER3 staff! Your commitment to addressing substance use during 10,000 patient visits demonstrates your commitment to excellent patient care and sets a new standard for healthcare that would not

have been possible without each and every one of your contributions. We thank you for your partnership and look forward to many years of continued work together!

--Abby Talbert, PA SBIRT Project Coordinator at Program Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU)

Awesome Job EMPOWER3 and congratulations on your ten thousand screenings! We appreciate all the time and energy your staff have devoted to PA SBIRT. Your commitment to every patient sets a precedence for great patient care and the merging of primary and behavioral health. Thank you again for all your hard work and dedication!--Dianne Schrode, PA SBIRT Project Director at PA Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP)

EMPOWER3 has meant so much to me personally and professionally. I visited EMPOWER3 during my first week with PERU and have seen the team grow over the past two years. During that time, I have come to know the patients, staff, and leaders that make PA SBIRT possible – with you, there would be no PA SBIRT. Hearing the

stories of how much staff value their work and patients getting the care they need is the reason I show up to work every day. EMPOWER3 staff not only help their patients, they help the entire community, and have set the standard

for every other healthcare provider in Pennsylvania. I cannot thank the staff enough for their dedication to our vision and providing every patient with the right serves every time. Through your work, you have more than helped

patients, you have saved lives. Thank you for everything that you do.--Alex Nowalk, SBIRT Program Director at Program Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU)

Messages from the Field

EMPOWER3 Center for Health continues to take steps towards the goals of their SBIRT Strategic Plan to ensure thecontinued success of SBIRT implementation. EMPOWER3 Center for Health recently began working on improvingpatient engagement using the Plan-Do-Study-Act model. The SBIRT Care Coordinator is developing brief staffbiographical sketches for the closed circuit TV advertisements. Additionally, EMPOWER3 Center for Health willwork with PERU over the next year to develop a promotional video about their experience with the evidence-based SBIRT model.

Great job guys! That is 10,000 times you have helped to lessen the stigma associated with MH and D&A issues and helping folks realize this a very real HEALTH problem first and foremost.

--Anthony Pater, CADC Outpatient Drug and Alcohol Provider in Blair County

Pennsylvania Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment

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Alcohol Awareness MonthApril is Alcohol Awareness Month! DDAP shared the following

post on social media outlets to raise awareness and highlight

PA SBIRT efforts throughout Pennsylvania. The feature read as

follows:

SBIRT is an evidence-based practice used by health care

professionals to identify, reduce, and prevent substance use

disorder.

The department provides funding to four locations across PA to

implement and carry out SBIRT functions helping at-risk

individuals before they develop a substance use disorder and

helping those struggling find treatment.

This post can be found on the DDAP Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/PennsylvaniaDDAP/

Rx Drug Abuse and Heroin SummitThe PA SBIRT Implementation Team along with project site Care Coordinators, Site Champions, SCAs, and clinical

staff members attended the 2019 Rx Summit in Atlanta, GA from April 22-25, 2019. The Rx Summit is the largest

national conference addressing the opioid crisis. It attracts professionals from local, state, and federal agencies,

business, academia, treatment providers, and allied communities impacted by prescription drug misuse and heroin

use. Annually, stakeholders gather to discuss what is occurring in substance misuse prevention and treatment and

to formulate evidence-based solutions that will lead to positive impacts in affected communities.

The Rx Summit began in 2012 under the leadership of Operation Unite and Congressman Hal Rogers (R-KY). Since

then, it has hosted notable speakers including President Barack Obama in 2016, Congressmen Patrick Kennedy and

Newt Gingrich in 2017, President Bill Clinton and Counselor to the President, Kellyanne Conway in 2018, and

President Donald Trump with First Lady Melania Trump in 2019.

PA SBIRT attendees included: Alex Nowalk and Abigail Talbert (PERU); Missy Bennett, Vince Capone, Alexis

Dignan, and Luke Swintek (EMPOWER3 Center for Health); Cerissa Paladino (Sharon Medical Group) and Tracy

Bornick (Mercer County Behavioral Health Commission); Christina Zumer-Quinn, Gabby Rohde, and Michael

Geishauser (Altoona Family Physicians); and Laura Rodriquez, Angela Harris, Deanna Brown, Brad Maines, and

Alyssa Andrews (UPMC Pregnancy Care Center).

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The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP)

• • •

Dianne SchrodePA SBIRT Project Officer and Drug and Alcohol Program Managerdschrode@pa.gov

Jehlisah VaccarellaDrug and Alcohol Program Analystjvaccarell@pa.gov

Terry Matulevich Director, Bureau of Administration and Program Supporttmatulevic@pa.gov

Jodi Skiles Director, Bureau of Treatment, Prevention and Intervention joskiles@pa.gov

The University of Pittsburgh, Program

Evaluation and Research Unit (PERU)

• • •

Dr. Janice PringlePERU Directorjlpringle@pitt.edu

Alexandra NowalkSBIRT Program Directoraan28@pitt.edu

Abby TalbertPA SBIRT Project Coordinatoralt108@pitt.edu

Vanessa BaakliniPA SBIRT Research Specialistvab53@pitt.edu

Alec HowardResearch Specialistajh178@pitt.edu

Pennsylvania Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment

Nonmedical Prescription Stimulant Use

Misuse of prescription stimulants such as Ritalin® or Adderall® is prevalentamong young adults in the U.S. According to data from the 2017 National Surveyon Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), about 715,000 young adults (2.1% of thepopulation) aged 18 - 25 years reported misusing prescription stimulants.

Arria, A. M., Geisner, I. M., Cimini, M. D., Kilmer, J. R., Caldeira, K. M., Barrall, A. L., . .. Larimer, M. E. (2018). Perceived academic benefit is associated with nonmedicalprescription stimulant use among college students. Addict Behav, 76, 27-33. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.07.013

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2018). Keysubstance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. (HHS Publication No. SMA 18-5068). Rockville, MD: Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and QualityRetrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/cbhsq-reports/NSDUHFFR2017/NSDUHFFR2017.pdf

College Survey

Nonmedical prescription stimulants (NPS) are used by college students in effortsto increase grades. A recent study documents the proportion who believe thatNPS use will lead to improvements in academic performance. Researchersanalyzed emailed surveys of 6,962 undergraduate students (aged 18-25) at ninecollege and universities across the nation. Results demonstrated 11.2% engagedin NPS use during the past six months, 28.6% agreed or strongly agreed that NPSuse could help students earn higher grades, and 38.0% were unsure if NPS usecould improve academic performance. These results highlight need for educationand intervention practices to address substance misuse among this specialpopulation.

SBIRT in the News