Transcript Bringing Adolescents into Substance Abuse Treatment Through

A Systems Approach to
Improving Substance Abuse
Treatment for Latino Youth:
Latino Caucus of the APHA Annual Meeting
November 6, 2006
URBAN LEAGUE OF
GREATER HARTFORD, INC.
The Hartford Youth Project (HYP)
• Funded through CSAT’s Strengthening
Communities – Youth (SCY) initiative
• A collaborative effort, headed by the Department
of Children and Families (DCF)
• A system of care approach
• Employment of evidence-based treatment models
(MST, MDFT, FSN, MET/CBT)
• Pilot for Connecticut’s adolescent substance
abuse treatment system
Hartford Youth Project System of Care
Juvenile Justice
Referrals:
Community Referrals:
Schools
Community Agencies
Treatment Providers
DCF
Families and Youth
Probation
Juvenile Detention
Committed Youth
Outreach,
Assessment,
Engagement, Referral:
Outreach, Assessment,
Engagement, Referral:
Treatment
Coordinator:
ABH
Hispanic Health
Council
Urban League of
Greater Hartford
The
Village
Wheele
r Clinic
Catholic
Charities
Follow-up:
Hispanic Health Council
CSI
HBH
NAFI
Follow-up:
Urban League of Greater
Hartford
The Hartford Youth Project offers:
• Culturally competent outreach, engagement,
and follow-up
• Centralized assessment
• Family-based treatment methodology
• Network of treatment providers
• Service to youth:
-10-17 years old
-Living in the city of Hartford
-Substance dependent, addicted, or at-risk
for AOD use
HYP Referral Sources
Juvenile Justice
Community
DCF
Other
5%
5%
Community,
14%
3%
School
Treatment Providers
Law Enforcement
7%
Juvenile
Justice, 51%
School, 15%
Family-Driven Outreach and
Engagement Approach
• Build trust with youth and families
• Assess family needs
• Prepare the family for transition to
treatment
• Help family access basic needs and
services
• Maintain contact with family to
monitor client progress for
up to 1 year
Profile of HYP Youth







75% male
42% African American
64% Hispanic
– 87% Puerto Rican
Average age = 14.7 years old
51% referred by juvenile justice system
49% referred by community sources
68% from single parent families
HYP’s Latino Youth:
Substance Use and Risk Behaviors
P
e
r
c
e
80
80
70
65
60
n
t
50
R
40
e
p
o
r
t
g
28
30
20
i
n
44
10
10
0
Weekly
Weekly Drug
Alcohol Use
Use
Sexually
Active
Multiple Sex Drug-Related
Partners
Crime
Profile of HYP’s Latino Youth
87
90
80
R
P e
e
p
r
o
c
r
e
t
n
i
t
n
g
83
68
70
60
46
50
40
30
20
10
0
Single parent In school, past
family
90 days
Criminal
Justice
Involvement
Ever
Victimized
HYP’s Latino Youth: Mental Health
and Substance Diagnosis
50
43
50
P
e
r
c
e
n
45
40
30
R
25
p
o
r
t
i
n
g
30
35
t
e
37
20
15
10
5
0
Conduct
Disorder
ADD/ADHD
Substance
Abuse Dx
Substance
Dependence Dx
What It Takes to be an
HYP Outreach Agency
•
•
•
•
Cultural competency
Community-level base
Services visible in and by the community
Established reputation, trusted by
community residents
• Multi-service orientation
• Child and family focus
HYP’s Latino Youth and Families:
Issues and Challenges
• Trust issues
• Stigma of substance abuse, treatment,
outside intervention (“keep it in the home”)
• Youth and/or family denial of problem
• Language (English vs. Spanish)
• Limited resources to meet basic needs
• Lack of appropriate educational resources
• Youth/family treatment engagement and
retention
• Involvement in juvenile justice system
Serving HYP’s Latino Youth and
Families: Strategies for Success
• Engagement Specialists (ES) and
agency staff share clients’ cultural
values, language, and experience
• Staff have first-hand-knowledge of
family issues and challenges
• Outreach agency have resources or
connections to help families meet basic
needs
Serving HYP’s Latino Youth and
Families: Strategies for Success
• ES’s locate and access outside resources
(community, state) to supplement agency
resources for families
• ES’s interface with key stakeholders
(schools, Juvenile Justice, employers, etc.)
• HYP matches families with culturally
competent and/or bilingual treatment
providers
HYP Youth:
6-Month Treatment Outcomes
100
P
e
r
c
e
n
90
70
60
R
50
p
o
r
t
i
n
g
Intake
6-Months
80
t
e
93
68
65
38
40
37
30
20
17
11
11
10
6
5
0
Weekly Alcohol
Use
Weekly Drug Use
Arrest in Past
Month
Illegal Activity
Sexually Active
HYP Youth:
6-Month Treatment Outcomes
100
P
e
r
c
e
n
50
r
t
i
n
g
6-Months
70
R
o
Intake
80
60
p
89
90
t
e
94
40
61
49
33
30
30
20
64
19
18
10
0
4
Weekly Alcohol
Use at Home
Peer Weekly
Alcohol Use
Peer Drug Use
Victimized in Past
90 days
In School
HYP: A Summary
• HYP has been successful in engaging youth
and families in Hartford and increasing the
number served by evidence-based treatment
models.
• Overall 6-month treatment outcomes have
been positive.
• Community-based agencies and staff have
been successful due to cultural competency,
and ability to identify with families, build
trust, and access needed resources.
“INVESTING TIME IN OUR YOUTH
IS INVESTING TIME IN OUR FUTURE”
“Engagement Specialist…
not just a job…a calling.”
To be successful, an Engagement Specialist MUST:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Come from and feel comfortable in the community
Identify with youth and families
Build and maintain trust of those they serve
Be reliable and willing to work hard
Be resourceful, creative, and persistent
Have strong organizational and communication
skills
• Support the whole entire family (address needs
beyond substance abuse)
• Have access to crucial resources to help families
meet basic needs
For additional information on this presentation or the
Hartford Youth Project contact:
Jennifer E. Sussman, HYP Evaluation Project Director
University of Connecticut Health Center
Phone: (860) 679-5409
E-mail: [email protected]
Robyn Anderson, HYP Project Manager
Advanced Behavioral Health
Phone: (860) 638-5336
E-mail: [email protected]
URBAN LEAGUE OF
GREATER HARTFORD, INC.