Virginia Premier joins nationwide collaboration to lower substance use disorders among youth

Virginia Premier Health Plan Inc. has joined a three-year learning project to improve the identification of youth who are at risk for substance use disorder. The nonprofit-managed care organization was formed to coordinate health care for people who have low incomes.

The project, led by the Center for Health Care Strategies in partnership with the Association for Community Affiliated Plans, will make extensive use of a program called Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment. The program, which is known as SBIRT, is an evidence-based approach for identifying patients who are at risk for abuse of alcohol and other drugs. SBIRT is intended to identify patients who have substance use disorders and reduce the level of risk for those who are at high risk for developing substance use disorders.

“SBIRT is aimed at identifying people who are at risk and catching them before they develop a dependency, as well as making treatment referrals for people who need it,” said Margaret A. Murray, CEO of ACAP. “Many primary care providers are overwhelmed with demands on their time and may be unaware of some of the tools that SBIRT provides, especially those that can help head off substance use issues at the pass. The tools available here can make a lasting, positive difference in the lives of adolescents and young adults.”

Virginia Premier is one of seven safety net health plans nationwide that will be involved in the project. Each health plan will pilot a SBIRT training program aimed at raising awareness of substance use disorders among youth. The programs will bolster providers’ abilities to screen, intervene and refer to treatment as needed. As the health plans develop their pilot projects, they will regularly share their progress with fellow collaborative participants in an effort to speed development of effective SBIRT programs.

In recent years, there have been approximately one and a half times more drug overdose deaths in the U.S. than deaths from motor vehicle crashes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Addiction to opioids and prescription drugs has played a large role in the drug overdose spike. Virginia Premier is training primary care providers on SBIRT and will focus on lowering substance abuse among adolescents. By screening more teens, a larger number of at-risk patients will receive the benefit of behavioral health services, which can reduce the chances of addiction and overdose.

Upon completion of its work, the collaborative will develop a toolkit for public use that will examine best practices and challenges in establishing effective SBIRT programs aimed at youth.