 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Deborah Rinehart, MA, Nancy VanDeMark, MSW, and Brent Dice, MS. Arapahoe House, Inc., 8801 Lipan Street, Thornton, CO 80260, 303-781-1275, drinehart@ahinc.org
The Adolescent Triage Center (ATC) is an innovative program that provides a safe environment for intoxicated youth to detox from alcohol and drugs. In addition, the program provides family crisis intervention, behavioral health screening and service planning. The ATC is a less costly alternative to hospitals and detention centers and provides a unique opportunity for engagement, assessment and intervention with this high-risk population. The ATC is an Arapahoe House, Inc. program located in Denver, Colorado and is supported by a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Targeted Capacity Expansion grant (#1 H79 TI12379). Demographics and baseline data collected with the Government Performance Results Act (GPRA), Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT, Rahdert, 1991), and Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Parents (POSIP, Rahdert, 1991) will be presented. These data assess potential problems in the following areas: substance use, mental health, family relations, physical health, peer relations, educational status, vocational status, social skills, leisure/recreation and aggressive behavior. Change trends at a 6 and 12 month follow-up interview using the aforementioned instruments will also be presented. Qualitative questions exploring adolescents' perceptions of the program, the help they received, how the program impacted their life and family relationships, unmet needs, and recommendations for improvement were also collected at the 6 month follow-up interview. These data, in addition to ATC clinician focus groups and referral source satisfaction surveys, will be presented to provide a more in depth understanding of the needs of the population and suggestions for program improvement.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.