Effects of an Organizational Linkage Intervention on Inter-Organizational Service Coordination Between Probation/Parole Agencies and Community Treatment Providers

Wayne N. Welsh, Hannah K. Knudsen, Kevin Knight, Lori Ducharme, Jennifer Pankow, Terry Urbine, Adrienne Lindsey, Sami Abdel-Salam, Jennifer Wood, Laura Monico, Nathan Link, Carmen Albizu-Garcia, Peter D. Friedmann

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

27 Scopus citations

Abstract

Weak coordination between community correctional agencies and community-based treatment providers is a major barrier to diffusion of medication-assisted treatment (MAT)—the inclusion of medications (e.g., methadone and buprenorphine) in combination with traditional counseling and behavioral therapies to treat substance use disorders. In a multisite cluster randomized trial, experimental sites (j = 10) received a 3-h MAT training plus a 12-month linkage intervention; control sites (j = 10) received the 3-h training alone. Hierarchical linear models showed that the intervention resulted in significant improvements in perceptions of interagency coordination among treatment providers, but not probation/parole agents. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)105-121
Number of pages17
JournalAdministration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research
Volume43
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2016

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This study was funded under a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH/NIDA), with support from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, US Department of Justice. The authors gratefully acknowledge the collaborative contributions by NIDA; the Coordinating Center, AMAR International, Inc.; and the Research Centers participating in CJ-DATS. The Research Centers include: Arizona State University and Maricopa County Adult Probation (U01DA025307); University of Connecticut and the Connecticut Department of Correction (U01DA016194); University of Delaware and the Delaware Department of Correction (U01DA016230); Friends Research Institute and the Maryland Department of Public Safety Correctional Services'Division of Parole and Probation (U01DA025233); University of Kentucky and the Kentucky Department of Corrections (U01DA016205); University of Rhode Island, Rhode Island Hospital and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections (U01DA016191); Texas Christian University and the Illinois Department of Corrections (U01DA016190); Temple University and the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections (U01DA025284); and the University of California at Los Angeles and the Washington State Department of Corrections (U01DA016211). The views and opinions expressed in this report are those of the authors and should not be construed to represent the views of NIDA nor any of the sponsoring organizations, agencies, CJ-DATS partner sites, or the U.S. government.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2015, Springer Science+Business Media New York.

Keywords

  • Implementation
  • Inter-organizational relationships
  • Interagency relationships
  • Substance-related disorders
  • Treatment

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Psychiatric Mental Health
  • Health Policy
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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