To address the crucial need for SUD screening, referral and treatment, HIV screening and treatment, tobacco cessation intervention, and parenting education for homeless, runaway, and throwaway transitioning youth ages 16 to 25 in Dayton, OH, the Substance Abuse Resources and Disability Issues (SARDI) Program in the Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University (WSU) will partner with Daybreak, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in Dayton, OH, that operates the areas only 24 hour crisis hotline and emergency youth shelter and offers outreach, prevention, transitional housing, life-skills education, and other services for runaway and homeless youth ages 10 to 25. For this Day-TREE project, SARDI staff will screen transitional aged youth ages 16 to 25 at Daybreak for substance use disorder (SUD) and co-occurring mental health disorders and then will refer youth in need of treatment to Daybreaks behavioral health treatment program, Addiction Services (AS), or other local SUD treatment providers. SARDI staff will provide wraparound case management, HIV testing/counseling, recovery support, and tobacco cessation and family education classes. SARDIs services are expected to enhance and expand Daybreak services by supporting comprehensive treatment, early intervention, and recovery support services for Daybreaks youthful consumers with SUD and/or co-occurring disorders.
The goals for the Day-TREE project are: 1) increase the unduplicated number of transitional aged Daybreak youth served with evidence-based SUD treatment services and recovery practices; 2) reduce the use of alcohol, marijuana, and other substances, including tobacco, in Day-TREE participants; 3) reduce HIV and Hepatitis risk and treatment disparities in Day-TREE participants; 4) improve parenting skills and family functioning for Day-TREE participants and their parents, family caregivers, or other caregivers; 5) decrease exposure and involvement in crime and violence in Day-TREE participants; and 6) improve mental health of Day-TREE participants. To achieve these goals, SARDI, Daybreak, and Addiction Services staff will utilize numerous EBPs, including evidence-based screening (AUDIT, DAST, GAIN-SS, PHQ-9, GAD-7, and SBIRT), treatment (motivational interviewing, trauma-informed treatment, intensive outpatient treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy, medication assisted treatment, Family Behavior Therapy, and contingency management), prevention (Creating Lasting Family Connections, Prevention through Alternative Learning Styles, and Risky Business), and recovery (wraparound case management, 12-Step support groups, Peer-Support Recovery Services, and Community Reinforcement and Family Training) practices. SARDI, Daybreak, and AS (operated by Public Health Dayton & Montgomery County) have the capacity and expertise to successfully meet the goals of this important Day-TREE project.