Project ASSERT to Celebrate 20th Anniversary.

In its two decades as an innovative intervention and referral program for emergency room patients, Project ASSERT has screened more than 60,000 patients and provided a spectrum of services to nearly 30,000.

The program’s enviable record of success in screening and diverting patients into proper treatment and social support services has made it a national model, as well as being used effectively in seven hospital sites throughout Massachusetts. Project ASSERT will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a private celebration on Dec. 11, from 12:00-1:30 pm, for staff, former patients and those affiliated with the program. Attendees scheduled to attend include Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, and Kate Walsh, president and CEO of Boston Medical Center.

Project ASSERT (Alcohol & Substance Abuse Services, Education, and Referral to Treatment) is a team of peer educators performing “in-reach” at the Boston Medical Center Emergency Department. By collaborating with hospital staff, the health promotion advocates (HPAs) offer screening, brief intervention, information and health resources at the point of service in the hospital environment, rather than conducting “out-reach” in the community setting.

Over the past 20 years the project, founded by Ed and Judith Bernstein, professors of community health sciences at SPH, has grown into a model for SAMHSA’s National SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) programs that address the treatment gap for those with addictions and the unmet needs of the population whose unhealthy alcohol and drug use puts them at risk for injury, illness, and legal, mental, and social problems).

Project ASSERT connects patients with substance abuse treatment programs, opioid overdose prevention, primary care, and social support services. The program is staffed by health promotion advocates who are experienced substance abuse counselors and represent the surrounding communities served by the hospital. While Project ASSERT’s services were originally confined to the emergency department, the program has expanded its reach to include inpatient floors. Most recently, Project ASSERT has channeled its advocacy efforts towards improving the accessibility of substance abuse treatment services for LGBTQ patients.