© 2005 Behavioral Health Research Institute of the Southwest
612 Encino Place NE / Albuquerque, NM 87102 / 505.244.3099 / www.bhrcs.org

Substance Abuse Intervention
for Healthcare Workers
Funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention,
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

We are nearing completion of an intervention for preventing substance abuse among an Albuquerque Medical Center's employees. This project will determine whether simple and inexpensive methods merged with existing employee health delivery systems can favorably influence absenteeism, better employee health, and improve other outcomes valuable to corporations.

The Medical Center employs 3,300 health care professionals and support staff. We are working with this Medical Center to assess a new prevention program that provides substance abuse prevention messages as part of the health and wellness program. Included in our campaign are messages delivered in educational videos and newsletters, health risk appraisals, and personal health coaching.

Measures of the program’s effectiveness include staff retention, injury rates, number and source of EAP referrals, and medical care utilization rates. Overall program impact will be assessed for the entire population through repeated measures analysis.

Because the prevention programs already in place at this Medical Center are typical of prevention programs across the country, our results should allow us to help other health-care providers across New Mexico and the country improve their substance-abuse prevention programs.