NPIC/QAS has expertise in the design and implementation of formative and summative evaluation related to the organization, effectiveness and cost of family health care programs. Projects focus on:
- Substance abuse prevention (including the development of community coalitions)
- Early / brief intervention with individuals at high risk to develop addiction issues
- Substance abuse / behavioral health treatment
- Care coordination for individuals with addiction issues who are involved with child welfare / family court
- Integrating HIV/AIDS risk reduction with behavioral health treatment
Evaluation activities include the development of quantitative and qualitative data collection instruments, as well as data collection and analysis. NPIC/QAS has considerable experience with cross-site national evaluation efforts, overseeing the collection and reporting of the data required to participate in such efforts. Each evaluation is designed to monitor and measure program activities in a manner that optimizes the usefulness of the data for program staff and consumers. The NPIC/QAS evaluation team assists programs with:
- Managing data for program reporting and accountability
- Identifying best practices
- Facilitating continuous service improvement
- Transferring technology / skill sets to sites
- Promoting system efficiencies and service collaboration
- Sustaining services
BOLD (Building Our Lives Drug-free) Coalition
NPIC/QAS serves as the evaluator for the BOLD (Building Our Lives Drug-free) Coalition serving the Fall River, Massachusetts area. BOLD is a substance abuse prevention coalition comprised of community volunteers, agency representatives, educators, city government, school representatives and youth. These groups and individuals are working together to reduce youth substance abuse and create a healthy community for the youth of Greater Fall River. BOLD is funded by the (federal) Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP).
BOLD's youth program, Teens Against Drug Abuse (TADA), was recently awarded a $12,000 grant to help raise awareness of the dangers of tobacco use. It was one of 10 state grants awarded. Nic Charest, BOLD youth drug prevention specialist, noted: “90 percent of adults who smoke started smoking as teenagers.”
In October 2007, a BOLD event presented by a local school’s Theater Program included three skits depicting interactions (or lack thereof) between teens and parents about drug use. To learn more of their various activities and service,
visit their website.
SSTAR's 30th Anniversary Conference
Donna L. Caldwell, Ph.D recently presented the CORE program with the Project Director, Marjorie Joseph, at a conference in Newport RI called: “Promising Practices from Around the Globe”. The two day conference showcased evidence based programming that addresses behavioral health issues as well as HIV/AIDS. Professionals from Russia, China, Lebanon, Germany and other countries described the “state of the art” in their respective areas. The conference was sponsored in part by a United Nations Initiative: “Treatnet” that is designed to promote cross-country collaboration and improve behavioral health services internationally. SSTAR, based in Fall River Massachusetts and Rhode Island, participates in Treatnet and was a sponsor of the conference. »
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SSTAR “onTrac” Program
Dr. Caldwell attended the Association for Women in Psychology Conference in San Francisco, California. There she presented the data related to a subset of the women served by the project titled "A Model of Integrated Treatment for Women with Co-Occurring Disorders Who are at High Risk for HIV". »
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Family Treatment Drug Court
The VIP Family Treatment Drug Court has been featured in the news. The article, "Drug Court More Successful, Faster at Reuniting Families" was published in Rhode Island's
The Providence Journal. »
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Another article, "A Mother's Hope: Getting Her Future Straight " was published in
The Providence Journal as a touching follow-up story to "A Mother's Addiction". »
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This series was awarded the first print media award by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) at their annual meeting in June, 2007.
