Substance Abuse Program Overview for

HQMC Behavioral Health Conference

Marine and Family ProgramsMarine and Family Programs

• Mission Statement• Staffing and Function Overview• HQMC Oversight• Current Initiatives• Challenges• Integration

Substance Abuse Program

Enhancing the readiness of the Marine Corps by providing evidence-based

prevention tools and training; and wellness oriented treatment and aftercare.

MFC-4 Mission

• Substance Abuse– 1-Section Head

(vacant)– 1-Prevention Program

Manager (vacant)– 1-Clinical Program

Manager (vacant)– 1-Prevention Specialist– 1-Program Analyst

• Drug Demand Reduction– 1-Program Manager

(vacant)– 1-Program Analyst– 2-DDR Specialists

Staffing Overview (HQMC)

15 Substance Abuse Counseling Centers

Staff:– 58 Substance Abuse Counselors

• 7 vacant

– 6 Alcohol Prevention Specialists– 19 Drug Demand Reduction Coordinators

Staffing Overview (Installation)

• Focus on prevention, education, treatment and rehabilitation

• Objective is to inform:– Policy– Available services– Consequences– Indicators – Administrative

Substance Abuse Program

• Drug Demand Reduction Coordinators (DDRC)– Evaluating Demand Reduction Education– Standardize SACO Training– Standardize Drug Demand Reduction Duties

• Substance Abuse Counseling Center– IGMC Inspections

• Substance Abuse Control Officers (SACO)– Reviewing unit level aftercare program– Monitoring periodic inspection of the SACOs by

DDRCs

HQMC Oversight

• Program Review and Analysis• IG Assessment• Drafting changes to Substance Abuse Order (MCO

5300.17)• NHRC Program Evaluation on Prevention Efforts• Prevention Outreach

– Campaign Plan– Prevention Plan

• Prime for Life• NHRC Evaluation of Prescription Drugs and Correlation

with Sexual Assault

Current Initiatives

• Personnel– Lack of Prevention Specialists

• Treatment Program– Reviewing current effectiveness– Implementation of evidence-based

practices– Ineffective unit level Aftercare Program

Challenges

• Alcohol Prevention– Funding to support alcohol prevention efforts– Underage drinking– Driving While Under the Influence

• Tracking of off-base DUI/DWIs – Screening and treatment compliance

• Drug Prevention– Synthetic drugs

• Data reporting

Challenges

Integration

Alcohol “Hub of the Wheel”

Suicide

Substance Abuse

Sexu

al A

ssau

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Family

Advocacy

COSC

Alcohol Misuse

18% had evidence of alcohol use at the time of death

24% had evidence of past alcohol abuse or dependence diagnosis

Over 50% of victims and offenders of sexual assault were associated with alcohol

30% of spouse abuse involved alcohol

80% of individuals with TBI met criteria for alcohol abuse and dependence

Data from internal Marine Corps Behavioral Health Program statistics: TBI data from RAND (2008)

• What does BH integration mean?– Set the tone

• Strategic Partnerships• Educating Outside the “BOX”• Improve credibility, reduce stigma • Target the right audience

– Change the environment– Eliminating Program Overlaps– Early identification and referral– Screening and treatment compliance

Integration

Backup Slides

1. Not all ARIs are reported or result in screening.

2. No one entity is tracking ARIs and follow-on substance abusescreenings.

3. No single database exists for tracking ARIs and Commandaction, including screenings and treatment.

4. Pulling ARI screening/treatment data from existing databases is cumbersome and results in incomplete and unreliable data because existing CLEOC and ADMITS databases are not linked.

5. CLEOC is a law enforcement database that only includes certain ARIs reported to NCIS.

• On-base incidents.• Some local civilian jurisdictions.

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Findings

6. ADMITS is a legacy system that is not meeting the needs of the Marine Corps Substance Abuse Program in part due to inconsistent data input policies.

7. ADMITS doesn’t distinguish between types of ARIs.

8. Members are lost in the system due to deployments or PCS and don’t always receive screenings.

9. Blotter reports don’t include most civilian ARIs.

10. Not all SACC Directors receive blotter reports.

11. Not all SACC Directors who receive blotter reports act on reported information.

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Findings

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12. MCO 5300.17, Marine Corps Substance Abuse Program, doesn’t provide a uniformed approach to substance abuse screening and treatment.

13. All 16 SACCs continue to operate independently.• Staff credentials and methods vary.• Wait times for screenings vary.• Screening protocols and treatment methods vary.

14. No uniform staffing T/O exists for SACCs.• 68% of SACCs report they are understaffed (11 of 16 Directors)

Findings

15. Lack of transparency on SACC policies/procedures leads to unnecessary command frustration. • SACCs triage cases causing extended wait times for some

Marines sent for screenings.

16. Most SACOs are multi-tasked.

17. Some Commanders overload their SACOs with collateral duties. 18. SACOs are responsible for monitoring aftercare treatment programs,

but aren’t adequately trained for the task.

19. From a command training perspective the substance abuse program is not adequately linked to other conditions (depression, PTSD, TBI) or suicide, spouse abuse, and sexual assault.

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Findings

20. Junior leaders are not adequately trained on prevention and early intervention techniques.

21. Treatment for alcohol abuse is viewed as a punitive measure.

22. Due to the existing stigma, Marines are reluctant to self-report alcohol problems and seek treatment.

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Findings

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Questions