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Assessing the Landscape of Adolescent SBIRT in Colorado

A fiery sunrise over the skyline of Denver
The first-ever assessment of adolescent screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) implementation among the state’s health professionals
  • Client
    Peer Assistance Services, Inc.
  • Dates
    April 2022 – Present

Problem

Alcohol and other substance use among Colorado youth is a public health concern.

Colorado has seen a decline in alcohol, marijuana, and tobacco/nicotine use among adolescents since 2019. However, youth in Colorado are more likely to have used substances in the last month than the average American youth. In addition, there are regional variations in Colorado. Rural and frontier regions have higher rates of alcohol use, opioid use, opioid overdose deaths, substance use, and suicide deaths compared to urban and suburban regions. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) to address alcohol or other substance use in youth 11-25 years old. Screening means asking validated questions about alcohol or other substance use. A brief intervention is a short conversation to provide feedback, enhance motivation to change, and plan next steps. A referral to treatment is connecting youth with additional care when at a higher risk of developing an alcohol or other substance use disorder.

Solution

NORC conducted a landscape assessment of adolescent SBIRT in Colorado.

NORC partnered with Peer Assistance Services, Inc. (PAS), a nonprofit organization in Denver, Colorado, and the Colorado SBIRT Advisory Council to conduct a landscape assessment of adolescent SBIRT implementation in Colorado. Our assessment included health professionals in a variety of disciplines and settings, and identified opportunities to support and strengthen the workforce through SBIRT training and technical assistance.

NORC and PAS finalized and disseminated a survey to health professionals and designed and conducted key informant interviews with identified stakeholders to assess the landscape of adolescent SBIRT adoption and implementation in Colorado. NORC collected and analyzed data from the survey and key informant interviews, then summarized and presented the findings.

Result

Our results will inform future adolescent SBIRT training and technical assistance initiatives in Colorado. 

Findings will help PAS and the Colorado SBIRT Advisory Council understand the landscape of adolescent SBIRT implementation among the state’s health professionals and inform opportunities for future SBIRT training, technical assistance initiatives, and targeted youth substance use prevention efforts across Colorado.  

Project Leads

“Examining the landscape of adolescent screening and brief intervention isn't merely mapping out practices, it’s about identifying opportunities to strengthen the health professional workforce and safeguarding paths to healthier choices among youth across Colorado.”

Project Director

“Examining the landscape of adolescent screening and brief intervention isn't merely mapping out practices, it’s about identifying opportunities to strengthen the health professional workforce and safeguarding paths to healthier choices among youth across Colorado.”

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