Health and Treatment Research and Analysis

HEALTH AND TREATMENT RESEARCHAND ANALYSIS
CASA Columbia’s health and treatment researchers work to realign prevention programs and treatment services to agree with a proposition that sees addiction as a preventable, treatable disease requiring integration of care across many systems in the same manner as any other chronic illness. CASA Columbia works with states to develop and evaluate programs to better address the chronic care needs of addicted individuals while containing costs, which offer a model for federal efforts in the current fiscal environment.

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) K02 Grant—Integrated Family-Based Treatment of Co-Occurring Adolescent Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) and ADHD
Aaron Hogue, PhD, an Associate Director of the Health and Treatment Research and Analysis Division, whose expertise is in family-based treatment for adolescent SUDs, continues his training under a NIDA K02 grant that includes components involving behavioral intervention science, psychopharmacology, and neuro-imaging research related to adolescent substance use, and which will culminate in the development of a family-based treatment model specifically designed to treat adolescent substance users with co-occurring attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

CASALEAP^SM (Learning Effective Approaches to Prevention) is the first study to look at long-term outcomes of evidence-based practices for adolescent substance use in real-world settings, and also the first to evaluate community therapist practices in routine settings using observational methods. CASA Columbia researchers are looking at three routine clinical settings for treatment benefits and cost effectiveness for adolescent substance misuse and related mental health problems: Hospital based behavioral health clinics, private addiction counseling clinics and community mental health centers.
Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

CASAHOPE ^SM(Housing Opportunities Program Evaluation) is a cutting-edge evaluation of a new program funded by New York State and City to provide supportive housing to chronically homeless individuals with ongoing substance use, with the goal of promoting the stability needed to allow them to address their substance useand other social needs. The CASAHOPE evaluation will document best practices, evaluate one-year outcomes,and conduct a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis to see whether supportive housing reduces costs related to extra city/state services used by homeless clients.
Funded by the Conrad H. Hilton Foundation.

CASACCARE^SM (Chronic Care Approaches to Recovery) is a joint program with the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) that provides case management for the most costly utilizers of Medicaid addiction treatment. The CASA Columbia team is advising on strategies for improving care that derive from science (like evidence-based practices) and business strategies (such as Continuous Quality Improvement teams). The project utilizes CASA Columbia’s capacity to apply sophisticated statistical methods to study program effectiveness by analyzing large streams of government data on use of addiction treatment and healthcare services.   CASA Columbia researchers will evaluate the effectiveness of the disease management program in stabilizing these individuals’ lives, as well as saving taxpayer dollars.
Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

CASASARD^SM II (Substance Abuse Research Demonstration)
Stemming from CASA Columbia’s original CASASARD treatment model in New Jersey that has been implemented statewide, CASA Columbia experts are examining the cost-benefit of a case management program they developed that is shown to be effective in reducing substance use, and will study how well an intervention designed and tested by scientists will stand up when implemented under real-world conditions.
Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

CASASARD^SM III
CASA Columbia is also conducting a comprehensive economic analysis of a state-run case management program for families with children on welfare. CASA Columbia scientists and the state of New Jersey are collaborating to develop a state-of-the-art behavioral intervention for high-cost, high-needs clients. Potential taxpayer benefits derived from reduced drain on publicly financed services (like public welfare, emergency or crisis services) are the focus of the analysis.
Funded by The John D. and Katherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

New Jersey Division of Addiction Services Grant
CASA Columbia is evaluating a groundbreaking set of programs to improve treatment access and recovery among disenfranchised, mostly opiate dependent individuals who are not currently accessing treatment services. These programs include mobile medication vans that provide on-the-street outreach, a unique approach to establishing systems of treatment that better target individuals mired in despair, who impose a large economic burden on the community.
Funded by the New Jersey Division of Addiction Services.

New York State Health Foundation Grant— Developing Sustainable Screening
CASA Columbia is working with the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) and Department of Health (DOH) to develop more effective implementation of screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment within medical settings for the poor. Although there are well-established guidelines and recommendations for screening and referral in emergency departments, actual implementation is a challenge, due to the complexities of instituting new behavioral health interventions in medical settings. CASA Columbia will develop and evaluate strategies based on best business practices, as well as science-based models, that can be rolled out throughout the state.
Funded by the New York State Health Foundation.

New York State Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (NYSBIRT)
CASA Columbia is working with the New York State Officeof Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS)on an initiative to implement screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) statewide. SBIRT is an evidence-based practice that modifies the substance use patterns of at-risk substance users and identifies individuals who need more extensive, specialized treatment. SBIRTis a comprehensive, integrated, public health approach that provides opportunities for early intervention before more severe consequences occur. CASA Columbia’s role in this project will be to recommend strategies for implementation to SBIRT sites, primarily in Jefferson County and New York City. CASA Columbia will also provide guidance to OASASon conducting an evaluation of SBIRT outcomes and will offer technical support to a statewide Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) that will oversee a broader adoption of SBIRT throughout the state.
Funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).