BALTIMORECITY JURISDICTIONAL PLAN FOR ALCOHOL AND DRUG ABUSE

progress and update report

july 1, 2005 through june 30, 2006

september 15, 2006

I. overview of local council

The Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems (BSAS) Board of Directors and two additional agency representatives serve as BaltimoreCity’s Local Drug and Alcohol Abuse Council. The Council’s two-year Jurisdictional Plan focuses on three areas - Prevention, Treatment and Recovery.

meeting schedule

Meetings continue to be held on the second Thursday of each month from 9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.

membership

The most significant change in Council membership was in June 2005 when Dr. Peter Beilenson resigned as BaltimoreCity’s Commissioner of Health. Ms. Francine Childs served as interim Chair from July through December 2005; and Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein became the new Commissioner of Health on December 12, 2005. Other membership changes include:

ResignationsNew Members

Steve Baron, PresidentSue Diehl, President

Baltimore Mental Health Systems, Inc.Baltimore Mental Health Systems

Charles Brenton, ChairTerry Brown, Chair

BaltimoreCity Substance Abuse DirectorateBaltimoreCity Substance Abuse Directorate

Peter Beilenson, Commissioner of HealthJosh M. Sharfstein, M.D., Chair

Francine Childs, Acting CommissionerCommissioner of Health

Baltimore City Health DepartmentBaltimore City Health Department

Fred Osher, M.D., Associate ProfessorNone

Center for Behavioral Health, Justice and Policy

Jim McClafferty, Regional DirectorZarva Taru, Regional Director

Department of Juvenile JusticeDepartment of Juvenile Services

contact information – Adam Brickner, President, Baltimore Substance Abuse Systems, Inc., 1 N. Charles St., Suite 1600, Baltimore, MD21201, 410-637-1900 ext. 211, fax 410-637-1911, e-mail .

bylaws- The bylaws were amended to include ex-officio status two existing Board of Directors positions: Chief Executive Officer, BaltimoreCityPublic Schools, and Public Defender, BaltimoreCity.

structure- On May 11, 2006, the BSAS Board of Directors nominated Kim Kennedy as Board Secretary/Treasurer to replace Steve Baron.

II. accomplishments to date

  • A new “Sustainable Buprenorphine Treatment Plan” was developed in 2005 and implemented July 2006. The plan includes a shift from short-term detoxification to longer-term treatment, focus on helping patients obtain health insurance benefits, and transferring stabilized patients from BSAS-funded clinics to community primary care physicians.
  • Standardized Treatment Assessment and Referral Tracking Initiative (START) began in 2005 and continued in 2006 with an evaluation of BaltimoreCity’s current screening, assessment and patient placement procedures. Based on the findings of the evaluation, BSAS is currently planning its next steps to improve the processes.

FY 2007 funding increased by $2,352,030, including a 20% increase in BaltimoreCity funding (from $1,250,000 to $1,500,000) and 3% increase in State funding (from $47,260,068 to $48,697,786.)

  • Comprehensive data entry and treatment slot utilization monitoring and improvement initiative started July1, 2006. The new procedures require providers to enter admission and discharge information on the same day these events occur, and permits providers and BSAS to see the utilization of BSAS-funded slots on a daily basis.
  • Performance-based contracting with treatment providers is scheduled to begin January 2007.
  • Gaudenzia at Woodland Avenue, a new 120-bed long-term residential treatment facility opened in July 2006.
  • BSAS began a new collaboration with the Department of Juvenile Services to select and oversee a private treatment provider to treat adolescents in Baltimore’s Juvenile Drug Court.
  • In FY 2006, BSAS began holding semi-annual public forums to inform the public about substance abuse services and to obtain community feedback on unmet needs.

workgroups, subcommittees

Changes included:

  1. Performance Evaluation and Allocations Committees were restructured. The Performance Evaluation Committee’s function was expanded to include some of the responsibilities formerly assigned to the Allocations Committee, and the Allocations Committee was disbanded and a new Finance Committee was formed. Both committees continue to meet monthly on first Tuesdays.
  2. Treatment Facilities Committee was discontinued because its primary purpose, the coordination of a new residential treatment facility in west Baltimore, was completed.

other activities

To assist in developing performance-based contracting procedures, the Performance Evaluation Committee met with representatives from the Treatment Research Institute on December 1, 2005, and Jack Kemp, Director of Delaware’s substance abuse services, on April 4, 2006.

In December 2005, the Board of Directors participated in an orientation session led by Peter Bell on “Improving Treatment Outcomes for African American Clients.”

The June 8, 2006 Board of Directors meeting venue was changed to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health so that members could attend “Cities on the Right Track: Building Public Addiction Treatment Systems” a national conference sponsored by Open Society-Baltimore which prominently featured aspects of the Baltimore City treatment system.

III. strategic plan

The attached Jurisdiction Plan Update Report includes updates on Baltimore City’s. The process to complete the Jurisdictional Plan updates was:

  1. BSAS staff prepared the updates during July and August, and presented them to the Performance Evaluation Committee (PE) for review/approval on September 7, 2006.
  2. BSAS staff recommended to PE that the BSAS Operating Plan (the most recent plan was to expire on June 30, 2006) be combined with the Jurisdictional Plan.
  3. After review and discussion, PE developed a motion recommending the full Board of Directors approve the Update Report. The Board of Directors/Local Drug and Alcohol Abuse Council approval the Update Report on September 14, 2006.

IV. outcomes

The attached plan includes some prevention related data. BSAS will report on FY 2006 ADAA Management for Results outcomes when that data is available. BSAS will also report on utilization data when it becomes available from the new utilization monitoring and improvement initiative.

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