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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has selected 20 organizations nationwide to receive the agency’s first ever Science & Service Awards.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has selected 20 organizations nationwide to receive the agency’s first ever Science & Service Awards. These awards serve to recognize exemplary implementation of evidence-based interventions to prevent and treat mental illnesses and substance abuse. The Ventura County Behavioral Health Department, a division of the Ventura County Health Care Agency, was selected for this honor, specifically for the Integrated Dual Diagnosis Treatment program (IDDT), launched in 2005.

Nationwide there exists a gap between the need for substance abuse and mental health services and the availability of accessible treatment options. SAMHSA developed a “Toolkit” to describe the components of an evidenced-based treatment program for individuals with co-occurring severe mental illness and substance abuse. The IDDT program developed by Ventura County Behavioral Health received perfect scores on almost every component in the Toolkit as rated by evaluators from the California Institute of Mental Health (CIMH). The program has resulted in positive outcomes, such as reduction in severity of psychiatric symptoms, abstinence from abusive substances, and successful completion of client-centered treatment plan options.

The 20 awardees for this honor were selected based on independent reviews of 115 applications as well as site visits. To be eligible for the award, an organization had to demonstrate successful implementation of a recognized evidence-based intervention. These new awards will provide recognition to public sector organizations and community-based groups and coalitions that have worked to improve their communities and the lives of individuals.

Behavioral Health staff that have contributed greatly to the program’s success include Program Manager Linda Gertson, Ph.D., Keith McCourtney, MFT, Victoria Bradley, MFT, Maryanne Marion, RN, Clarissa Sanchez, MHA, Michael Turek, M.D., and Ralph Chavez, ADTS.

Behavioral Health Director, Meloney Roy, says “This is significant because it demonstrates the Behavioral Health Department’s commitment to quality - to providing treatment that has data behind it, treatment that we know is effective for our clients. It’s also testimony of our staff’s dedication - their commitment to excellence. One of our strategic planning initiatives is to identify and implement more evidenced based treatment programs, so Ventura County can expect more programs like IDDT in the future.”