Army Substance Abuse Program clinical assets to undergo transition

By Melody Everly, Fort Drum Garrison Public AffairsSeptember 29, 2016

FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Sept. 29, 2016) -- Army Substance Abuse Program and behavioral health team members are hard at work on implementing a transition plan that will improve the quality of care provided to those in the Fort Drum community who are receiving treatment for substance abuse.

In accordance with Army guidance, clinical assets and rehabilitative functions once provided within Installation Management Command's ASAP program will now be provided by U.S. Army Medical Command.

These changes, the result of an Armywide review of the ASAP program, will integrate Substance Use Disorder Clinical Care (SUDCC) treatment into MEDCOM's embedded Behavioral Health System of

Care, resulting in a streamlined multidisciplinary approach to treat and support Soldiers, Family Members and Army Civilians working to overcome the challenges of substance abuse.

There are many benefits to integrating ASAP with behavioral health, said Dr. Todd Benham, director of psychological health at Fort Drum.

"What we are doing is bringing all of the clinical aspects together to make care collaborative and more efficient," he said. "There will be SUDCC providers assigned to each embedded behavioral health team, which means we can refer a patient to another provider within that team without having to go through a referral process."

This expedited approach to obtaining necessary treatment is expected to reduce missed duty time, eliminate redundant appointments for Soldiers and increase positive treatment outcomes. With readiness being the No. 1 priority of the Army, Benham said that efficiency of services is key.

"It's a readiness issue," he said. "If a Soldier is not fit in whatever domain, then you have a Soldier who is not mission-ready. Providing treatment in a consolidated manner is going to reduce the amount of time that it takes to get them back to a state where they are healthy and mission-ready."

In addition to improving readiness for Soldiers, a consolidated system would benefit everyone -- Soldiers, Family Members, Civilians and all providers involved in the care process, said Emma Miles, ASAP clinical director.

"It makes sense to have all of the medical programs related to substance abuse under one umbrella," she said. "Addiction is a disease, and by having all of these services together in one place, we can place individuals in the appropriate level of treatment."

Lori Starr, Army Substance Abuse Program Prevention Branch chief, said that individuals who are struggling with substance abuse often deal with co-occurring conditions.

"In conducting our background analysis, we have seen a significant amount of overlap between mental wellness, substance abuse and suicidality," she said. "Before, we would have to coordinate care in multiple lanes, versus being able to provide a one-stop resource that could support a comprehensive treatment."

Starr said that integrating ASAP with behavioral health means that co-occurring mental and physical illnesses and substance abuse disorders can be addressed concurrently.

Benham added that this holistic approach is much easier when an established multidisciplinary team is involved.

"When you have a team of professionals that is consistent and providing care for the same group of Soldiers, the communication is better and the collaboration is better," he said. "When members of the team have that known relationship with other providers, it makes it easier to get the individual to the appropriate resources and providers."

This collaborative environment makes it easier for providers to seek consultations from other subject-matter experts within the building and refer patients for additional care services as needed.

Aligning clinical substance abuse care within the embedded behavioral health setting also allows for better communication between behavioral health care providers and the command team, Benham said.

"A major component of embedded behavioral health is to improve that communication," he said. "The commander can share the trends and issues that he or she is seeing with the behavioral health provider and the provider can make the commander aware of things they are seeing within the units."

Miles said that having clinical assets located within the embedded behavioral health setting could also result in a decrease in instances of substance abuse incidents, as Soldiers may be more likely to self-refer for treatment of substance abuse disorders.

"Having SUDCC providers as part of the team means that Soldiers can walk right down the street and receive care," she said. "Knowing that the SUDCC counselors are right there -- they may be more willing to walk through the door and self-refer."

The goal, Miles said, is to provide Soldiers with intervention services before a substance abuse incident occurs. While the clinical aspect of the ASAP program will be transitioning, IMCOM will retain responsibility for all other ASAP programs.

"All the prevention support services -- suicide prevention, employee assistance, drug testing and deterrence -- will still remain the same," she said.

Starr said that IMCOM also will maintain responsibility for alcohol and drug abuse prevention training, but she pointed out that this is one area where the ASAP and MEDCOM behavioral health staff will continue to work together closely.

"Some of the trainings we conduct are a shared effort between ASAP and the clinical team," she said. "We are constantly tailoring our trainings based on the information that our clinical staff members provide in terms of trends they are seeing or issues that are being identified."

Benham said that this interactive approach allows benefits the clinical staff, prevention program staff and those using care services.

"The Army is leaning toward a more collaborative approach across the board -- not just on the clinical side, but on the prevention side as well," he said. "We all have a different level of knowledge and expertise. We're merging our resources to maximize the way we do business and ensure that we are providing members of the Fort Drum community with the best support and care possible."

Miles said it is important to note that, while Fort Drum is in the process of transitioning clinical services, referrals for substance abuse treatment will continue to be handled through the ASAP for the time being.

"Soldiers should still be referred to us at the ASAP building," she said. "Over time, there will be changes in terms of where Soldiers receive care, and we will continue to communicate information about these changes through embedded health care channels."

For further information, call ASAP at (315) 772-3301.

Related Links:

Army.mil: News

10th Mountain Division (LI) and Fort Drum

Fort Drum on Facebook