Special Populations

Co-Occurring Disorders

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has identified as one of its highest priorities the improvement of treatment and services for individuals with co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders. As part of a mandate from the Report to Congress, SAMHSA created the Co-Occurring Center for Excellence (COCE) as a vital link between the agency and States, communities, and providers. CDM and its partners manage SAMHSA’s Co-Occurring Center for Excellence (COCE).

As an integral part of our work, CDM continues to support gender initiatives, racial/ethnic initiatives, and other programs that reach underserved populations that often have multiple and overlapping health problems exacerbated by poverty, homelessness, and lack of health insurance. As a minority-owned business, CDM has a special commitment to this work.

In addition to operating the Co-Occurring Center for Excellence (COCE), CDM developed and produced the Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP), Substance Abuse Treatment for Persons With Co-Occurring Disorders. This TIP revises TIP 9, Assessment and Treatment of Patients With Coexisting Mental Illness and Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse. The revised TIP provides information about developments in the rapidly growing field of co-occurring substance use and mental disorders and captures the state of the art in the treatment of people with co-occurring disorders. The TIP focuses on practical realities of clinical cases and real situations so the reader will acquire increased knowledge, encouragement, and resourcefulness in working with clients with co-occurring disorders.

Homelessness

CDM continues to work to improve services for people who are homeless, one of the most vulnerable groups in our Nation. Current projects include the National Resource and Training Center on Homelessness and Mental Illness and the National Technical Assistance Center on Chronic Homelessness. Earlier projects included the Model Programs for Homeless Individuals, which supported the evaluation of model demonstration projects addressing the needs of homeless people with both mental and substance disorders. CDM provided qualitative and quantitative research support services and technical assistance to help grantees evaluate the effectiveness of their programs. CDM also produced a compendium of promising models for national replication.

Alcohol Research Mentoring

To assist new investigators in the alcohol research field, CDM supported the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) in designing and pilot testing an Alcohol Research Mentoring System (ARMS). Using distance learning and information technology, promising new investigators were guided through the process of developing and submitting grants and, where appropriate, preparing resubmissions. NIAAA initiated this effort to encourage and mentor new investigators, especially those who are members of racial/ethnic minorities.

Cluster Groups

CDM supported CSAP’s cluster group initiative to improve prevention programs for traditionally underserved populations. Individual clusters disseminated knowledge about specific cultural issues and appropriate intervention strategies for African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic populations; rural communities; and women and children.

Minority Recruitment Materials

For the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), CDM prepared written and multimedia materials to support outreach, recruitment, and training to encourage an increase in minority participation in research on deafness and other communication disorders.

Focus Group Research on Highway Safety Issues Among Hispanic Populations

CDM conducted telephone surveys and focus groups for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in a qualitative study to identify the impact of highway safety messages on subgroups of the Hispanic population in the United States. CDM staff collected and analyzed data to determine how NHTSA should tailor its communications to best promote safety in those communities.

Nursing Workforce Research

CDM examined the development and implementation of successful approaches to recruiting and retaining Hispanic Americans in baccalaureate nursing education programs. CDM identified key factors and synthesized them into a working model that other baccalaureate programs could use to improve the representation of Hispanics in nursing. This model, in the form of a monograph, targeted institutions that seek to enhance diversity in the nursing workforce.