Region 2 ATTC: NJ, NY, PR & the U.S. VI - The proposed Region 2 Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) builds upon the successes of the Northeast and Caribbean ATTC (NeC-ATTC), established to serve Region 2 in 2012 by the applicant organization, National Development & Research Institutes (NDRI), in partnership with the Institute of Research, Education & Services in Addiction (IRESA) at the Universidad Central del Caribe in Bayamon, Puerto Rico (also the previous incumbent of the Caribbean Basin & Hispanic ATTC since the network’s inception in 1993) to strengthen the workforce that provides addiction treatment and recovery support services in NJ, NY, PR and the USVI. Alcohol and drug misuse continue to pose a major health problem in the U.S. while a severe workforce crisis has limited our capacity to effectively respond. According to results from the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, of Americans aged 12 or older, 21.5 million had a substance use disorder (SUD) in the past year and 27 million used an illicit drug in the past 30 days (SAMHSA, 2015). These figures have been increasing and continue to be driven mainly by marijuana use (22.2 million current users) and the nonmedical use of prescription painkillers (4.3 million current users). The proposed project outlines 12 goals, and their associated objectives are keyed to SAMHSA’s 6 strategic initiatives, employing a Comprehensive Technology Transfer Model that represents a synthesis of implementation science principles, and draws on our experience in conducting training and technical assistance (T/TA), as well as research and evaluation over the past 25 years. This approach embodies 7 strategic elements for capacity building: (1) the target population is the behavioral health workforce (BHW), defined as any individual that provides SUD and/or mental health treatment and recovery services, inclusive of a variety of disciplines employed in a range of service settings; (2) T/TA activities will emphasize recovery—i.e. how recovery-oriented systems of care and recovery supports can help persons with behavioral health disorders effectively manage their conditions; 3) T/TA activities will promote culturally and linguistically appropriate services to support both providers and organizations in delivering culturally relevant, non-judgmental and compassionate care to diverse populations; (4) training workshops will foster acquisition of the knowledge and skills required to implement evidence-based and culturally-responsive services; (5) technical assistance will offer organizations the support necessary to effectively implement newly learned, complex skills; (6) distance-learning strategies that make use of technology (e.g., webinars, self-paced online courses, Project ECHO clinics) will be used to increase access to T/TA across the region; and (7) intensive longitudinal TA will focus on program and systems integration in both behavioral health specialty care and in primary care services. The Region 2 ATTC proposed to deliver 75 T/TA events each year (or 375 over the 5-year term), affecting 2,360 participants annually (or 11,880 over the 5-year term). This project has the potential to fortify the behavioral health workforce, improve the delivery of behavioral health services, reduce healthcare costs, and improve the health of Region 2 residents.
