Professor Part of New Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Program Funded by $1.58M CDC Grant.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded a $1.58 million grant to support the Boston Sustainable Models for unhealthy Alcohol use ReducTion (B SMART) program, a new collaboration between Boston Medical Center and the Schools of Medicine and Public Health to reduce fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Jacey Greece, clinical associate professor of community health sciences, is leading the program evaluation for B SMART.

“This is an incredibly exciting project to be a part of, because it combines the expertise of researchers in healthcare delivery and evaluation with the perspectives of medicine and public health, which will undoubtedly result in environmentally focused best practices in addressing fetal alcohol spectrum disorders,” Greece says.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders affect approximately 1 in 20 children in the United States. Alcohol use during pregnancy is considered the most common cause of preventable developmental and intellectual disabilities. Research suggests that 20 to 30 percent of women drink at some time during pregnancy, counter to the advice of the CDC and Surgeon General.

B SMART is an integrated healthcare delivery system providing services at sites located throughout Boston and in nearby communities, and will focus on training healthcare providers in universal screening and counseling for unhealthy alcohol use—with ongoing coaching and technical assistance. The program will work with each participating clinic to tailor the implementation of these services to best meet their patients’ and providers’ needs.

“Healthcare providers are key players in the effort to reduce fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, and it is vital that they are trained in how to best screen for unhealthy alcohol use and intervene using nonjudgmental and effective counseling strategies,” says Daniel Alford, director of the Clinical Addiction Research and Education unit at the School of Medicine and BMC and principal investigator of the B SMART program. He is also a professor of medicine and associate dean for continuing medical education at the School of Medicine.

The lessons learned from this program will be shared within and outside of the Boston HealthNet community, allowing for the continued development and implementation of new strategies to address unhealthy alcohol use and to reduce the incidence of FASD at other practices.