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Current Research Projects The National Treatment Center Study Research Supported by:
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) The National Treatment Center Study is actually three separate studies all of which are funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). The original study, begun in 1995 and funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, consisted of a nationally representative sample of 450 privately-funded substance abuse treatment facilities. The original goal of this study was to examine the impact of managed care on the substance abuse treatment field and how the field would adapt to this "turbulent" environment. Beginning in 1999, funding for this study of private centers was continued by NIDA and the emphasis of the study shifted to the adoption and implementation of innovative treatment practices. While information on the organization and management of the center continues to be monitored, it is within the context of innovation adoption. In October 2001, two additional studies were funded by NIDA that will eventually triple the size of the National Treatment Center Study. The first study centers around the NIDA-funded Clinical Trials Network (CTN). A major goal of the Clinical Trials Network (CTN) is enhancement of the adoption and implementation of substance abuse treatment innovations. This study focuses primarily on CTN Impact through the measurement of variations in adoption behavior and other organizational changes within treatment organizations that are and are not affiliated with the CTN. Using our existing sample of privately-funded substance abuse treatment centers and a new nationally representative sample of publicly-funded centers as comparison groups, we will examine the role that membership in the CTN plays on the adoption and implementation of these innovations. The second study funded in October 2001 is a study of a nationally representative sample of Therapeutic Communities. This study will be similar to the original private center study in that it will examine the organization and management of Therapeutic Communities and how these programs change over time. Therapeutic communities have shown great promise for producing significant behavioral changes and successful "habilitation" of substance abusers and addicts (DeLeon, 2000). In order to understand how therapeutic communities are differently successful, a focus upon their organization and management is critical. The research methods utilized in these three studies are identical. Administrators and other members of management at participating centers and programs are first interviewed on-site by National Treatment Center Study associates. This interview lasts approximately two hours. Information collected during this interview includes: organizational structure, organizational culture, organizational management, treatment inputs, treatment/clinical process and management, staffing, sources of referral, sources of reimbursement, financial information, census and organizational performance. The innovations that are of interest include pharmacological treatments such as Naltrexone, LAAM and Buprenorphine as well as therapeutic techniques such as Motivational Enhancement Therapy and Supportive Expressive Psychotherapy. Following the on-site interview, centers are contacted by telephone at six-month intervals. These brief telephone surveys are designed to assess any change that may have taken place since the initial on-site visit. Information collected during these interviews include administration and programming changes, census figures, and information about any innovations the center may have adopted or discontinued. Participating centers will receive a second on-site interview approximately two years after the initial interview. In addition to a modest honoraria, all centers will receive periodic updates in the form of summary reports. These reports detail the overall findings of the study during a certain period of data collection, such as a recently completed wave of on-site visits. In addition to these summary reports, centers receive individualized reports that are designed to allow centers to benchmark themselves with centers that have a similar organizational structure. For the participating centers and others interested in our research, we will also publish a quarterly newsletter containing snapshots of interesting findings, updates on our progress and other bits of information about the study. If you would like to be placed on the mailing list for this newsletter, simply send an e-mail request to NTCS@arches.uga.edu. This website, we will also be updated regularly with information about the most recent reports or publications, upcoming conference presentations and seminars on substance abuse and its treatment being held at the University of Georgia's Institute for Behavioral Research. The Family Relationships in Late Life (FRILL) Study Research Supported by: National
Institute on Aging The Family Relationships in Late Life (FRILL) Study, now in its 7th year of funding by the National Institute on Aging, is a long-term effort to describe, in more detail than ever attempted before, the experiences and problems faced by older adults and the family members who help them with the day-in-day-out tasks of continuing to live in their homes and communities. A major goal of FRILL is to help policy makers and health care providers understand why aging in the United States is different for White and African Americans and their families. The answers may lie in cultural differences, in access to social and medical resources, and in your input about things that we haven't even thought about. |
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