The need and opportunity to expand substance use disorder treatment in school-based settings

Abstract

In this paper, we explore the unmet need for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment among youth, its consequences, and the opportunity to address this gap due to the expansion of behavioral health services to school-based settings under the Parity and Affordable Care Acts. We discuss the importance of using evidence-based approaches to assessment and treatment to ensure effectiveness and cost-effectiveness and show how the severity of SUD is related to a wide range of school, substance, mental, health, and health care utilization problems. Next, we introduce the other three articles in the special issue that further demonstrate the feasibility and impact of using these evidence-based practices in school-based settings, the challenges of identifying and interviewing with youth, and the need for a full continuum of interventions. In each of these areas we try to draw out the policy implication of these trends and papers.

Keywords::

• substance use disorder treatment
• health equity
• school-based health centers
• health care reform

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Rod Funk and Stephanie Merkle for assistance preparing the manuscript. The content and opinions are those of the authors and do not reflect official positions of the government.

Additional information

Funding

The development of this paper was supported by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) contract #270-12-0397 using public use data from the SAMHSA data archive at www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/SAMHDA.