By Marce Cockburn
SBIRT Coordinator
Thirty percent of Americans use alcohol and other drugs at a level that increases the risk for physical, mental and social harm—that is 3 in 10 people. The problem is we don’t know who they are.
How can we identify these people and help them avoid serious health issues? The answer is screening. If we can identify Iowans who are at risk, we can help them set health goals, make changes in their behavior, offer brief treatment or refer them to treatment services.
What Is SBIRT?
Jackson Recovery, in partnership with the Siouxland Community Health Center, has recently implemented SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment) to identify people with high risk substance use behaviors. Health educators screen patients at Siouxland Community Health Center to assess their risk of developing health problems as a result of their drinking or drug use.
Brief intervention occurs in one short discussion right in the doctor’s office. It focuses on increasing awareness about substance use and motivation toward behavioral change.
Brief Treatment services are recommended for individuals that demonstrate higher-risk behaviors. They learn tactics to decrease their drinking or use to improve their health.
Referral to treatment provides patients that have been identified as needing more extensive substance abuse treatment with guidance and access to specialty care.
Studies have shown that people who received screening and brief intervention at an emergency department, hospital, or doctor’s office experienced:
33% fewer non-fatal injuries
37% fewer hospitalizations
46% fewer arrests
50% fewer motor vehicle crashes
Positive Effects
Other positive effects include reduction in alcohol consumption, successful referral to substance abuse treatment programs, reduction in repeat injuries and reduction in injury hospitalizations.
For more information, visit http://www.idph.state.ia.us/sbirt/Project.aspx or http://www.samhsa.gov/prevention/SBIRT/index.aspx
