Ensure collaboration on student SUD assessment programs
Recommendation
The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) should collaborate with states on student assessment programs such as Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT). SBIRT should be deployed for adolescents in middle school, high school, and college levels.[1]
Background/summary
SBIRT delivers early intervention and treatment services through universal screenings that are comprehensive and integrated into primary care for persons at risk for or with substance use disorders.[2] While initially used in clinical settings, SBIRT services are increasingly offered in high schools and universities.[1] For example, trained middle school and high school staff in Massachusetts reinforce prevention, screen for substance use, provide counseling, and make referrals to students beginning in seventh grade, with the intent to motivate students to seek treatment if they are engaged in substance use.[1] Successful college programming focuses on student substance use assessment, prevention, treatment, and recovery, including SBIRT and Collegiate Recovery Programs.[3] Informed by these models, the DOE should collaborate with states to implement screening, prevention, and treatment programs for middle school, high school, and college students.[1]
citations
1. Presidential Commission. The President’s Commission On Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis. Last Updated November 1, 2017.
2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT). Last Updated August 12, 2022.
3. Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Drug Misuse Prevention and Recovery at The Ohio State University. Welcome Page. Last Accessed July 26, 2023.