New Hampshire Center for Excellence in Treatment & Recovery

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), New Hampshire consistently ranks in the top states for rates of alcohol use and abuse, marijuana use, and non-medical use of prescription pain relievers (young adults). New Hampshire lacked centralized, accessible, comprehensive technical support for the promotion of evidence-based practice in substance abuse services across the continuum of alcohol abuse and drug use prevention, treatment, and recovery to address its high rates of substance use and to improve treatment outcomes within its state-funded system of care.

JSI was chosen to launch the New Hampshire Center for Excellence to serve as a statewide technical assistance resource center for evidence-based practice in substance abuse services.

JSI provided technical assistance in the selection and implementation of evidence-based practices in prevention of, treatment of and recovery from alcohol and other drug abuse disorders. JSI facilitated learning collaboratives of networks and practitioners to support systems change that promote effective adoption of evidence-based practices. JSI also provided technical support in data dissemination systems to promote data-driven practice and quality improvement. JSI convened an expert panel to review innovative and promising practices to support local strategies to address substance abuse. JSI staff also provided state-level strategic planning services and best practice promotion with state leadership organizations, including the New Hampshire Governor's Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, Intervention and Treatment.

Activities included weekly technical assistance requests and responses, information dissemination through bi-monthly newsletters and information-sharing web portals, on-going data analysis and reporting, annual service-to-science application review and endorsements, annual reports to the Governor's Office, the development of a state-wide prescription drug abuse prevention plan, annual learning collaboratives for an average of 15 community and practitioner learning teams each year in support of evidence-based practice adoption and improvement, regional data profile production, a state epidemiological data profile of substance abuse and mental health indicators, administrative support for a wide range of substance abuse and mental health task forces, the development of ten multi-year, and data-driven regional strategic plans and a state-wide strategic plan to achieve measurable outcomes in population level alcohol and drug abuse behaviors and perceptions.

Relative to technical assistance provided to state-funded organizations and agencies providing addiction treatment and recovery support services, JSI staff and consultants transfered knowledge and information from research and practice to community providers. JSI staff conducted needs assessments to understand better the challenges and barriers to the adoption of evidence-based treatment and recovery practices, facilitate learning teams, and monitor organizational change in support of improved treatment and recovery outcomes.

Outcomes included a year-long action learning collaborative involving nine teams to improve clinical supervision in state-funded agencies, weekly technical assistance requests and responses, site reviews and process improvement recommendations, and resource development, including the successful award of federal Access to Recovery funding.