Substance Abuse Treatment Program  ACRS: Asian Counseling and Referral Service, a non- profit organization, promotes social justice and the well being and empowerment of Asian Pacific American individuals, families and communities; including immigrants, refugees, and native born; by developing, providing and advocating for innovative community-based multilingual and multicultural services.  NIATx Initiative: Substance Abuse Treatment Program was awarded the RWJ’s Paths to Recovery: Changing the Process of Care for Substance Abuse Treatment grant in 2004, and was funded until  Partnered with Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx) to make more efficient use of their capacity and shares strategies for improving treatment access and retention.

Changes Implemented  Three collateral contacts in three days: Limiting attempts to gather collateral information to complete assessment paperwork to three attempts.  Returning calls in one day: when there are messages left for assessment services in screeners’ voice mail, the screeners will return calls in one day.  Paging system: When screeners are not available to take a call or see a walk in, all program staff will be paged to respond to a call or walk in immediately.  Adding back up assessment staff in addition to regular assessment staff that can provide assessment when a client has to wait more than 5 days for assessment appointment.  Same day admission: Admit clients assessed on the same day for treatment by providing motivational interviewing technique and cultural education about benefits, American legal system and client choice.

Changes Implemented  Streamline paperwork and prioritize information needed to be gathered at the assessment/admission appointment.  Setting up walk in time to accommodate walk in client’s assessment services.  Partnered with our Mental Health program to provide comprehensive assessments.  Integrate the changes into our outreach program to increase Medicaid clients’ admission  Integrate the changes into our Youth Substance Abuse Treatment Program to increase admission.  Integrate the changes into our Problem Gambling Treatment Program to increase admission.

Days Between 1 st Contact to 1 st Treatment

Medicaid Clients Served from 2004 to August 2008

Number of clients served in Substance Abuse Treatment Program from 2004 to August 2008

Revenue from Year

Outcomes  Comparing with August 2004 until the end of 2007, we made 91% improvement in engaging our clients from the point of first contact.  Compare with 2004, ACRS has 210% increase in Medicaid clients to date.  Compare with 2004, ACRS has 46% increase in Non-Medicaid clients to date.  King County and Washington State treatment retention rates are 63% and 62% respectively, ACRS rate is 84%.  King County and Washington State treatment completion rates are 47% and 48% respectively, ACRS rate is 70%.

ACRS Key Contacts  Asian Counseling and Referral Service 3639 Martin Luther King Junior Way South Seattle, WA (206)  Janet Soohoo, MSW, Deputy Director  Victor Loo, MAC, Recovery Services Director