NCJ Number
249996
Journal
Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research Volume: 43 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2016 Pages: 105-121
Date Published
January 2016
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Since 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 - the current study examined the effects of an organizational linkage intervention on inter-organizational service coordination between probation/parole agencies and community treatment providers.
Abstract
In a multi-site 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. (Publisher abstract modified)