Blair Drug and Alcohol Partnerships (BDAP) and their partners have continued to expand the work started through the Alcohol and Other Drugs Work Group which focuses on the physical health partnerships in our community.
Their first major project was the implementation of SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment) which includes substance abuse as an area screened during routine healthcare. Since initiation of the SBIRT: Empower 3 Clinic, Pregnancy Care Clinic, and AFP have conducted over 60,843, over 3,,439 brief interventions, and 930 patients were referred to treatment (drug/alcohol and mental health). Seven pharmacies in Blair County have implemented the program. There have been 3,500 screenings and 40 brief interventions. Finally, BDAP received a federal grant to provide SBIRT training and Stigma Reduction/Addiction training to emergency responders. 78 EMS responders from AMED and Hollidaysburg and 63 police officers from Altoona and Logan Township were trained. So far, 2,059 patients were screened by EMS.
There is now a 24/7 day warm handoff from hospital emergency departments for substance use disorders. There have been 994 warm handoff contacts with 544 individuals accepting referral to treatment. 300 clients attended their first treatment episode.
Training is provided to Pregnancy Care Units on identification and referral of pregnant substance abusing moms and moms to be.
The Alliance for Nicotine Free Communities is promoting policies and programs that encourage smoke-free communities (e.g. smoke-free workplaces, clean air ordinances, smoking cessation programs, etc.).
Accomplishment and Activities:
The Alliance for Nicotine Free Communities developed and distributed one video to provide information and resources for businesses and organizations on how to become 100% tobacco-free workplaces.
The second video was developed in collaboration with career services personnel to educate students on issues related to seeking employment in companies that are currently or will be tobacco-free workplaces.
In collaboration with the Lung Disease Center of Central Pennsylvania and Blair Regional YMCA, smoking cessation classes are being conducted in local hospitals, businesses, and other organizations. If you are interested in hosting smoking cessation classes, please contact their organization. Seven out of every ten smokers want to quit and smoking cessations programs are successful.
As part of the Vape-Free School Initiative, the Lung Disease Foundation is implementing the INDEPTH program to provide an alternative to school suspensions for policy violators. Please contact their organization for how your school district can participate in this valuable education program. In addition, 23 presentations have been conducted for over 735 parents, school personnel, students, and business leaders.
The work group would like to encourage dental providers to implement interventions and promote the Every Smoker, Every Time training for staff.