844-SBIRTCT or 844-724-7828 – Statewide
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 17, 2015
The Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) and St. Luke’s Community Services’ Gatekeeper Program of Middletown have joined together to offer substance misuse and abuse screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment for adults 60 and older. A new toll free line, (844) 724-7828 or 844-SBIRTCT, has been launched for easy referrals to these services. This new partnership joins the outreach of the DMHAS funded Gatekeeper Program to the Connecticut Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment Program (CT SBIRT). It is a demonstration of one of many successful public-private collaborations in Connecticut’s on-going health reform efforts, particularly in the area of aging and behavioral health wellness.
The Gatekeeper Program, led by St. Luke’s Community Services and also offered by Community Renewal Team, Mental Health Connecticut and United Services, Inc. educates the community (postal workers, hairdressers, etc.) to identify and refer older adults, 60 and older, who may be in need of assistance to remain safe in their homes. The CT SBIRT program increases identification and treatment of adults who are at-risk for substance misuse or diagnosed with a substance use disorder.
“This type of collaboration between programs, the state and the private sector is vital to the provision of services that meet the needs of Connecticut’s older adults” said DMHAS Commissioner Miriam Delphin-Rittmon. “We know that one in four older adults experience behavioral health issues that are not necessarily part of the aging process. Substance and medication mis-use and abuse are preventable and treatable. Screening, brief intervention and referral to needed treatment can help older adults to achieve and maintain good behavioral health.”
Individuals receiving Gatekeeper Program referrals are NOT required to have a mental illness or substance abuse diagnosis in order to qualify for free short term case management and intervention.
The CT SBIRT, a private-public partnership among DMHAS, the Community Health Center Association of CT, University of CT Health, and community providers is funded through a $8.3 million grant awarded to DMHAS in 2011. These grant monies from federal Affordable Care Act funds support enhancements to the behavioral service system, specifically to increase identification and treatment of adults who are at-risk for substance misuse or diagnosed with a substance use disorder. A large portion of the CT SBIRT grant funds come from the Prevention and Public Health Fund created by the Affordable Care Act.
More information about Connecticut SBIRT and Gatekeeper programs are available at: www.ct.gov/dmhas/ctsbirt or www.gatekeeperct.net.