New Mexico Highlands University

Program Description

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), is funding New Mexico Highlands University (NMHU) $500,000 per year for 3 years to collaborate with Sangre de Cristo Community Health Partnership (SDCCHP) to provide screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) services to freshmen, athletes, and students referred by Student Services personnel, Residence Hall Assistants, and campus security. A project Advisory Council, composed of NMHU staff and community leaders, was established to develop policy and programmatic recommendations based on a campus-wide needs assessment and environmental scan regarding campus substance abuse policies, allocation of resources, and curriculum.

Campus Description

NMHU is a Federally-recognized Hispanic-serving institution with an enrollment of approximately 2,200 students, about 48 percent of whom are Hispanic. It should be noted that northern New Mexico has some of the highest rates of alcohol and drug abuse in the nation.

Program Model

Screening

Students are recruited for screening and brief intervention from the Freshman Experience class, Athletic Department, residence halls, Wellness Center, and other venues.

Students meet with a Wellness Advisor and complete an on-line version of the electronic Check-Up and To Go (e-CHUG) or the electronic THC Online Knowledge Experience (e-TOKE) for marijuana users.

All students who present at the Student Health Center, or who are referred by NMHU faculty and staff due to alcohol or drug use infractions, are administered the Healthy Lifeways Questionnaire screening tool and are offered brief intervention, brief treatment, or referral to specialty treatment by an on-site behavioral health consultant.

Brief Intervention

Wellness Advisors conduct brief interventions in private offices centrally located on the NMHU Campus at Sininger Hall and at the Student Health Center.

Brief interventions generally consist of one session using the e-CHUG or e-TOKE combined with a motivational interviewing session.

Wellness Advisors provide information and referrals to other services and/or resources within the community as needed.

Referral

Students with more severe disorders or dependence are referred to the Student Health Center Behavioral Health Consultant for brief treatment or a referral to specialty treatment, as appropriate.

Service Features

Wellness Advisors are recruited internally from the campus community based on prior work with the Athletic Department, Wellness Center, and other student groups.

SBI services are reinforced by a campus-wide education/prevention effort using evidence-based practices previously noted. The NMHU campus-wide assessment utilized the nationally recognized South Illinois University CORE Alcohol and Drug Survey. Training modules for screening, brief intervention, and brief treatment were developed by the SDCCHP-SBIRT program, and the environmental analysis was developed and evaluated by the University of New Mexico Center of Substance Abuse Prevention Program.

Collaborators

  • Sangre de Cristo Community Health Partnership
  • NMHU President's Office
  • NMHU Vice President of Student Affairs
  • NMHU Housing Office
  • NMHU Freshman Experience Faculty
  • NMHU Campus Security
  • NMHU Student Senate and other student organizations
  • NMHU Athletic Department
  • University of New Mexico's Center on Substance Abuse Prevention (COSAP)
  • NM Higher Education Alcohol and Drug Consortium
  • Community Leaders
  • Local DWI Planning Council

Contact Information

Cara Ortega, Project Director
New Mexico Highlands University
901 University Avenue
Las Vegas, NM 87701
(505) 454-3052
cortega@nmhu.edu

Arturo Gonzales, Executive Director
SDCCHP-NM SBIRT Program
Santa Fe, NM
(505) 983-8011
gonzalesassoc@qwest.net