1. Secure funding measures
Currently Available Resources
- The NH Charitable Foundation is currently accepting grant applications on a rolling basis through their Substance Use Disorder portfolio for SBIRT implementation. The RFP is currently available online. Please contact Deborah Schachter or Amy Pepin if you have specific questions regarding this process.
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association (SAMHSA) also has funding available to further the implementation of SBIRT throughout the country.
2. Identify target population
Identifying your target population is critical to a successful implementation of the SBIRT process. The target population will inform decision-making surrounding screening questionnaires and protocols, appropriate referral sources, and language used by practitioners, among others.
Potential populations include:
- Youth (ages 12-17)
- Young adults (ages 18-24)
- Adults (ages 25+)
3. Conduct an organizational needs assessment
There are two areas that need to be addressed when changing clinical practice: the clinical content inherent in the new practice and how the new practice will be incorporated into the daily workflow of a busy primary care setting.
Readiness Assessment Tools:
- Systems Level Implementation of Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment: This TAPS 33 as released by SAMHSA provides an overview of SBIRT as a process and outlines useful mechanisms for the assessment of organizational readiness, as well as implementation models.
4. Assemble a team
A model will help you to structure the work of changing practice, but you also need to structure your team. This is similar to developing a charter. The team members should represent the different disciplines in your practice setting, for example, MD and/or APRN, RN, MA, practice manager, administrative staff. Each of these disciplines will have a role in not only implementing SBIRT but also participating in how it is used.
A Core Team may include:
- A Medical Champion
- A Behavioral Health Specialist
- An Administrator
- An EHR/Information Systems Expert
- An MSW/RN
- A patient or community member