Bristol Community College

Program Description

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), is funding Bristol Community College (BCC) $500,000 per year for 3 years to implement Campus Out-Reach and Enhancement (CORE) Strategies for Substance Abuse Treatment. This program provides screening, brief intervention, brief treatment, and referrals to students at BCC.

Campus Description

Bristol Community College (BCC), is a comprehensive public community college in Fall River, Massachusetts, with a student population of approximately 21,000 people. Residents from Fall River, one of the largest cities in the college service area, are admitted to publicly funded treatment programs at double the average crude rate for other Massachusetts communities. Injection drug use—specifically heroin use—among these residents is reported at four times the average of admissions from other communities. Furthermore, prior to CORE, BCC did not provide access to substance abuse identification or treatment programs for students.

Program Model

Screening

Screening is conducted by Health Sciences staff and CORE Strategies staff using the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and the mental health portion of the Global Assessment of Individual Needs – Short Screener (GAIN-SS).

Students who participate in a brief intervention and agree to brief treatment are further assessed with the Global Assessment of Individual Needs – Quick (GAIN-Q).

Brief Intervention

Brief intervention is conducted using motivational interviewing by the same staff who conduct screenings.

Students needing short-term treatment are referred on campus (Fall River or New Bedford) or at Stanley Street Treatment and Rehabilitation Services (SSTAR) and participate in the evidence-based protocol, Motivational Enhancement Therapy/Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 5 (MET/CBT 5).

Referral

Students assessed as needing more intensive treatment or treatment for behavioral or health issues are referred to SSTAR or the appropriate resources.

Service Features

Campus outreach is conducted through programs and events, posters, post cards, e-mail to students, classroom presentations, and a kiosk at the Student Center, which is staffed during high traffic periods.

SSTAR has two bilingual/bicultural clinicians knowledgeable about Portuguese culture and values and able to design culturally-appropriate outreach and treatment interventions.

Collaborators

  • Stanley Street Treatment and Rehabilitation Services (SSTAR)
  • National Perinatal Information Center (NPIC)
  • BCC Connections Center
  • BCC QUEST Program
  • BCC Office of Disability Service
  • BCC CAST Program
  • BCC Enrollment Center
  • BCC Tutoring and Academic Support Center

Contact Information

Marjorie Joseph, Project Director
SSTAR
386 Stanley Street
Fall River, MA 02720
(508) 324-3504
mjoseph@sstar.org