Business & Practice Areas: Co-occurring Mental and Substance Use Disorders
For more information on the Co-Occurring Disorders Learning Community, contact Mohini Venkatesh, 202.684.3730.
About Co-occurring Disorders
In 2007, the Epidemiology of Co-Occurring Substance Use and Mental Disorders reported that 25% to 50% of patients diagnosed with a mental health disorder either currently have or had a substance use disorder and approximately 50% to 75% of patients in treatment for a substance use disorder have a diagnosable mental health disorder. More than 5 million U.S. adults have co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders and the cost of not treating or ineffectively treating these individuals is untold in terms of human misery, lost productivity, and costs to the taxpayer, including the cost of incarceration.
The mental health and substance use fields understand the prevalence of co-occurring disorders and traditional services’ lack of success with this population. Yet, despite the evidence supporting the effectiveness of integrated mental health and substance use disorder treatment and pockets of innovative services, widespread access remains elusive.
The effects of Co-occurring Policy Academies and State Incentive Grants and have not trickled down to the front lines, to the 250,000 staff of the National Council’s member organizations. Conferences and centrally administered trainings introduce new information, generate ideas, and enthusiasm but practice change requires sustained organizational investment — leadership’s commitment and vigilance, re-ordering priorities, operational re-alignments, and ongoing outcome-oriented mentoring. Organizations and practitioners can change but adopting and delivering a new product or service line is expensive and for organizations with slim to non-existent profit margins, it can be impossible.
To help facilitate solutions, the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare has joined the Focus on Integrated Recovery, a collaboration between Hazelden, the Dartmouth Psychiatric Research Center, NAADAC The Association for Addiction Professionals, the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers, and Westbridge Community Services. The partnership will define and disseminate models for integrated treatment delivery and will provide information, resources, and support for successful implementation.
About the Co-occurring Disorders Learning Community
The National Council — in partnership with MTM Services and Hazelden — is offering the Co-Occurring Disorder Learning Community, a practice improvement initiative in an area critical to behavioral health organizations, their communities, and the individuals served – co-occurring treatment for mental health and substance use disorders.
This is a subsidized organizational learning opportunity based upon our commitment to integrated care, the available evidence about organizational and practice change, and our knowledge of small business operations. Participating organizations have been chosen by a competitive application process and contribute one dollar for every twenty-five match.
Key elements of the Co-Occurring Disorder Learning Community include:
- Access to curriculum and leading experts who are involved in providing effective integrated treatment of co-occurring disorders and organizational change management
- Baseline and follow-up administration of a co-occurring treatment capacity assessment: the Dual Diagnosis Capability in Addiction Treatment (DDCAT) and the Dual Diagnosis for Mental Health Treatment (DDCMHT)
- Implementation of a Rapid Cycle Change quality improvement process which will provide goals and action steps to address co-occurring disorder service delivery capacity needs
Involvement in this Learning Community includes virtual (web and phone-based) technical assistance from national experts, outcome data management through a web portal, and participation in an initial half-day web-based orientation Learning Session and a final web-based outcomes Learning Congress.
2011 Participants
- ADAPT, Inc. - Roseburg, OR
- Area Mental Health Center - Garden City, KS
- Centerstone - Columbus, IN
- Jerome Golden Center for Behavioral Health - West Palm Beach, FL
- Pathways Community Behavioral Healthcare, Inc. - Clinton, MO
- Pine Belt Mental Healthcare Resources - Hattiesburg, MS
- Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Center, Inc. - Memphis, MI
- Tropical Texas Behavioral Health - Edinburg, TX
- Upper Bay Counseling and Support Services - Elkton, MD
- United Community Services, Inc. - Des Moines, IA
Faculty
- David Lloyd, Founder, MTM Services
- David Swann, Consultant, MTM Services
- Marty Harding, Director of Training & Consultation, Hazelden
- Jon Hartman, Market Development Manager, Hazelden
Resources
- The Dual Diagnosis Capability in Addiction Treatment (DDCAT)
- The Dual Diagnosis Capability in Mental Health Treatment (DDCMHT)
