State University of New York, University at Albany

Program Description

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), is funding the State University of New York at Albany (UAlbany) $465,403 per year for 3 years to expand its capacity to provide screening and brief intervention to high-risk drinkers and create an environment that supports reduced drinking rates and increased health behaviors.

Campus Description

UAlbany is a public research institution within the 64-campus State University of New York system that enrolls approximately 17,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The National College Health Assessment (NCHA), conducted prior to the beginning of this project in Spring 2004, found that nearly 30 percent of students consumed alcohol 10 or more days per month and approximately 60 percent of students participated in binge drinking in the 2 weeks prior to the survey. Forty-one percent of judicial cases in the fall of 2003 involved alcohol abuse and 48 percent of on-campus student arrests involved alcohol.

Program Model

Screening

Licensed University Health Center (UHC) health care providers, including physicians, physician's assistants, and nurse practitioners, as well as University Counseling Center (UCC) psychologists, conduct screening using the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT).

AUDIT is incorporated into the student health screening and counseling services intake process, which is completed for all students seeking services at UHC and UCC.

Brief Intervention

Brief interventions involve 8- to 10-minute sessions based on motivational interviewing conducted by UHC health care providers and UCC psychologists.

Approximately 1 week after the initial interview (which includes the Government Performance Rating Act [GPRA] intake data collection), students participate in a 45-minute Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention of College Students (BASICS) session with a UCC psychologist.

Referral

Students who are not responsive to the BASICS intervention due to alcohol dependence or continuing alcohol abuse are referred for 12-session intensive counseling services at the UCC or St. Peter's Addiction Recovery Center.

Service Features

Students log on to a secure Web site to enroll in the project and complete questionnaires. Data from the questionnaires are downloaded to a spreadsheet and used to create a personalized feedback sheet.

Students are e-mailed a Web link to questionnaires at discharge, 6-weeks, and 6-months post-intervention for follow-up assessment and can complete them online at their convenience.

Collaborators

  • UAlbany University Counseling Center
  • UAlbany University Health Center
  • UAlbany Department of Counseling Psychology
  • Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation
  • St. Peter's Alcohol Addiction Recovery Center
  • UAlbany Division of Student Success
  • President's Advisory Council on Alcohol Abuse and Related Risk Behaviors
  • Dr. Mary Larimer, Addictive Behaviors Research Center,
    University of Washington
  • Dr. Jason Kilmer, Addictive Behaviors Research Center,
    University of Washington

Contact Information

Maria Dolores Cimini, Project Director
University at Albany, SUNY
University Counseling Center
Health and Counseling Building
1400 Washington Avenue, 2nd Floor
Albany, NY 12222
(518) 442-5800
dcimini@uamail.albany.edu