Distance Training and Implementation Supports to Scale Up Integrated Treatment for People With Co-occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders

Objective: Integrated, evidence-based treatment for co-occurring severe mental illness and substance use disorder (co-occurring disorders) reduces substance use, hospitalization, homelessness, incarceration, and treatment costs and promotes individuals' recovery, independent living, and employment. This report describes and characterizes early uptake of New York State's Web-based training and distance implementation supports to promote statewide dissemination of integrated, evidence-based co-occurring disorders services. Methods: Thirty-five half-hour online modules provide training on integrated evidence-based co-occurring disorders treatment. Distance supports for implementation include monthly webinars, phone calls, and virtual learning communities. The authors calculated the proportion of programs with one or more practitioners who accessed the Web-based resources and the cumulative number of modules completed as an indicator of the reach of the Web-based approach to scaling up an innovation. They also calculated the number and proportion of staff per program who accessed the Web-based resources as an indicator of critical mass that may be needed for sustainability. Results: Of 369 programs participating in the initiative, 232 (63%) had at least one staff member accessing the online modules; 30% of programs had one-third or more of their staff accessing the online modules, and total attendance at webinars was close to 700. Staff who started taking the training averaged a little more than 6 modules, with 8,862 modules completed across staff to date. Conclusions: Early uptake of the New York State initiative suggests that distance learning and supports may be a feasible vehicle to train practitioners in large treatment delivery systems. (Journal of Dual Diagnosis, 7: 162-172, 2011)