Identifying Innovations in Substance Abuse Treatment for People
with Disabilities through Managed Care
This project is a collaboration between the HDWG at the Boston University
School of Public Health and the Boston University School of Social Work,
and is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Substance Abuse Policy Research
Program. The overall goal of this project is to identify innovative practices
in providing substance abuse treatment services to individuals with a wide
range of disabilities through Medicaid managed care.
To complete the project, we will complete the follow activities:
• A thorough literature review on both Medicaid managed care and substance
abuse issues among people with disabilities;
• Identify states that enroll people with disabilities in Medicaid
managed care programs and that also purchase substance abuse treatment services
through these programs;
• Conduct a telephone survey of a range states that meet these criteria;
• Based on the results of the telephone survey, conduct site visits
to at least five managed care programs that appear to have innovative substance
abuse models for serving people with disabilities; and
• Disseminate the results of our findings.
Through the Winter of 2001, we have completed the first three activities
and have also completed the majority of our site visits. Additional site
visits are planned for the Spring-Summer of 2001. A preliminary paper on
the results of the telephone survey and our preliminary research has been
accepted for publication in the American Journal of Addictions, and we are
currently working on additional articles for publication. In addition, we
have disseminated our findings and conducted a workshop at the Robert Wood
Johnson Substance Abuse Policy Research Program annual meeting in December
2000.
Key staff involved in this project are Sara Bachman, Ph.D. at the Boston
University School of Social Work, and Mari-Lynn Drainoni, Ph.D. and Carol
Tobias, M.M.H.S., at the HDWG.
National Evaluation and Program Support Center to conduct a multi-site evaluation of outreach activities designed to engage and retain individuals with HIV in medical care. Funded by Health Resources and Services Administration
A national evaluation of peer education training programs for people living with HIV.
A National Center working to advance the Healthy People 2010 objective that all children with special health care needs have access to adequate health insurance and financing for their care.
A cross-disciplinary training curriculum in HIV and substance abuse, designed for health care providers, support service providers and substance abuse treatment providers.