Avenue 360 Health and Wellness (Avenue 360) proposes to provide Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services for residents of the Greater Houston metro area, including pediatric patients under 21 years of age, with a special emphasis on low-income residents and under-served populations.
Avenue 360 is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) operating seven clinics in the Greater Houston area. Its patient population primarily includes low-income families and individuals, uninsured and underinsured patients, ethnic minorities, and LGBTQ+ patients. Currently, Avenue 360 is the only FQHC in the Greater Houston area that has dedicated substance use disorders services in-house.
Avenue 360 anticipates serving 45,861 patients with substance use screening over the five-year project period. Approximately 10% of program participants will be pediatric (ages 12-20).
Goal #1: Avenue 360 Health and Wellness will implement routine, evidence-based substance use disorder screenings using the SBIRT technique to our patient population receiving medical care, housing services, and/or mental health treatment on an annual basis.
Goal #2: Avenue 360 Health and Wellness will improve health outcomes for patients by reducing alcohol and other drug (AOD) use, increasing abstinence, and addressing the negative health impact of AOD use through increased peer recovery support services and clinical treatment services.
Goal #3: Avenue 360 Health and Wellness will implement specialized screening practices for pediatric patients to address current harmful patterns of substance use by initiating SUD treatment and recovery support services at the earliest stages of substance use disorder development.
Medical assistants routinely take patient vital signs at the beginning of each appointment; they will be trained to ask a few basic pre-screening questions regarding substance use at the same time, and to record results in the patient medical record. If the pre-screening indicates a potential issue with substance use, the medical assistant will notify the SBIRT program staff. A substance use disorder clinician, intern, and/or a peer support specialist will immediately follow up with the patient with a brief intervention. This is a short patient-centered motivational interview that determines the patient’s attitude toward their substance use and the psycho-social/ emotional/ physical needs prompting it. The SBIRT team member has the opportunity to educate the patient about the negative health impacts of substance use and set one or more goals for reducing substance use. Patients whose screening indicates severe risk will receive an immediate intervention (within one week; on the spot if possible) and referral to treatment services, which may include Medication Assisted Therapy, inpatient detox, or short inpatient or outpatient treatment.
Avenue 360 will coordinate all program services with state and local health agencies as appropriate, including two-way referrals for services.