SBIRT in Massachusetts

History

In 2007, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Bureau of Substance Abuse Services (BSAS) announced funding to build SBIRT capacity in several hospital emergency departments (EDs) across the state.  BSAS engaged the BNI-ART Institute to facilitate the project and train hospital staff.  The first phase requested applications from Massachusetts emergency departments of which seven would be chosen.  The selected hospitals chose a leadership team to be trained in SBIRT who would in-turn hire health promotion advocates (HPAs) to be integrated into the ED team and provide SBIRT services.  The BNI-ART Institute trains all ED SBIRT program HPAs and provides continuing education, monitoring, and strategies for sustainability through the life of the project.

Current participating hospitals include:

• Boston Medical Center Pediatrics, Boston, MA
  HPA: Julie Lunstead
• Heywood Hospital, Gardner, MA
  HPA: Sue Christensen
• Mercy Medical Center, Springfield, MA
  HPA: Kelly Greeley
• South Shore Hospital, Weymouth, MA
  HPAs: Loberta Lacrete, Caitlin Little
• St. Anne’s Hospital, Fall River, MA
  HPA: Brittany Lynch
• UMass Memorial Hospital, Worcester, MA

Fast Facts

Through February 2011, Massachusetts ED SBIRT has screened 31,741 of which 10,460 (33%) screened positive for risky or dependent alcohol use and/or drugs.

For brief interventions, 8,866 were given a BNI (85%) and 6,956 (78%) received a referral to treatment. Treatment referrals can range from making an appointment at a treatment center to information on AA/NA meetings.