1. Division of Treatment & Recovery Research NIAAA Advisory Council
Lori Ducharme, Ph.D.
Division of Treatment & Recovery Research
NIAAA Advisory Council
May 2017

2. The Problem: High quality treatment is hard to find
Existing online resources are limited
Public unfamiliar with quality indicators
No “consumer report” for addiction treatment
Aggressive SEO and advertising
Common stereotypes about treatment options
NIAAA can’t endorse specific providers
Need to teach the public how to search for themselves

3. Solution: The Navigator
Offers a strategy to search for evidence-based alcohol treatment
Learn the Basics
What is AUD, how is it treated, 5 signs of high quality care
Know Where to Search
Reliable sources for finding licensed therapists, accredited programs, and board-certified physicians
Know What Questions to Ask
10 Questions to ask a Therapist/Program – and answers to listen for
Compare and Choose

4. How we built it: Searched and reviewed all existing resources
Identified areas where we could add value
Decided what not to take on (adolescents)
Early focus group with Al-Anon members
Defined our territory and message
Health services research findings
Focus groups with target audience
Meetings with stakeholders (ASAM, SAMHSA)
Expert outside reviewers

5. WHERE TO SEARCH FOR ALCOHOL TREATMENT
HOME > WHERE TO SEARCH > FIND ACCREDITED TREATMENT PROGRAMS
LEARN THE BASICS
WHERE TO SEARCH
WHAT TO
ASK
COMPARE
& CHOOSE
ONGOING
SUPPORT
Search Provider Directories
This is a sample interior page. With this one page I can show you all of the unique, value added features that we’ve baked into the Navigator.

6. WHERE TO SEARCH FOR ALCOHOL TREATMENT
HOME > WHERE TO SEARCH > FIND ACCREDITED TREATMENT PROGRAMS
LEARN THE
BASICS
WHERE TO SEARCH
WHAT TO ASK
COMPARE & CHOOSE
ONGOING
SUPPORT
Search Provider Directories
First, there’s a clear step-by-step process (top nav)

7. WHERE TO SEARCH FOR ALCOHOL TREATMENT
HOME > WHERE TO SEARCH > FIND ACCREDITED TREATMENT PROGRAMS
LEARN THE
BASICS
WHERE TO SEARCH
WHAT TO ASK
COMPARE & CHOOSE
ONGOING
SUPPORT
Search Provider Directories
Guidance for searching specific directories of providers – covers full array of options, gives click-by-click guidance (describe all 3)

8. WHERE TO SEARCH FOR ALCOHOL TREATMENT
HOME > WHERE TO SEARCH > FIND ACCREDITED TREATMENT PROGRAMS
LEARN THE
BASICS
WHERE TO SEARCH
WHAT TO ASK
COMPARE & CHOOSE
ONGOING
SUPPORT
Search Provider Directories
Custom widget for searching the SAMHSA locator – we access the database directly

9. WHERE TO SEARCH FOR ALCOHOL TREATMENT
HOME > WHERE TO SEARCH > FIND ACCREDITED TREATMENT PROGRAMS
LEARN THE
BASICS
WHERE TO SEARCH
WHAT TO ASK
COMPARE & CHOOSE
ONGOING
SUPPORT
Search Provider Directories
Toolkit helps users organize their notes, provides a script for interviewing treatment providers (and answers to listen for), and includes a Treatment Options Chart to help people visually compare their options and highlight indicators of quality.
This is designed to be an online tool (desktop or mobile), but we’ve created the Toolkit such that if someone wants to, they can just download it and be pretty self-sufficient.

10. WHERE TO SEARCH FOR ALCOHOL TREATMENT
HOME > WHERE TO SEARCH > FIND ACCREDITED TREATMENT PROGRAMS
LEARN THE
BASICS
WHERE TO SEARCH
WHAT TO ASK
COMPARE & CHOOSE
ONGOING
SUPPORT
Search Provider Directories
And we’ve also created an infographic emphasizing that people can take different paths through treatment – helps explain levels of care and problem severity through an engaging set of vignettes, and will be something we can use to promote the Navigator on social media platforms.

11. User Feedback
“The information is right there – you just follow the guide. It’s simple.”
“I have questions, and I have a checklist of things – that’s great for me. Like a 10 out of 10.”
“What information do I need on hand, what should I discuss when I call? To me that’s very helpful.”
“I feel like after going through this process I have more information to help my friend. I know more about alcohol treatment and the steps to take.”
“It’s the Lewis and Clark for alcoholism.”
[May not use this slide]

12. Countdown to Launch Completing design work
Building custom search tools
Final user testing
Review and clearance
September launch (Recovery Month)

13. Thank you!