Dual diagnosis

Frontiersman reporter

A training and education program operated out of Behavioral Health Services of Mat-Su has kept the Valley on the cutting edge of new theories of behavioral and substance abuse treatment over the last three years through the use of training sessions and literature compilations.

And it seems very likely that, in the near future, this could change.

The program, called the Co-occurring Disorders Institute, or CoDi, is currently in the final stages of a three-year grant acquired through a single-source program under the sponsorship of Sen. Ted Stevens. The grant was awarded in August 2001, and expires in August 2004, two months from now.

The Dual Diagnosis and Integrated Services programs that CoDI promotes deal with people challenged with both emotional and behavioral disorders and substance abuse. These individual categories of ailments, called "silos," have traditionally demanded self-contained treatment philosophies, structures, and methods, said Randy Moss, the director of CoDI. CoDI attempts to bridge the gap that such independent coping strategies naturally foster between the two silos.

Moss said this bridging process is backed up by statistical evidence, noting that more than half of clients experiencing substance abuse problems also experienced emotional and behavioral problems, and vice versa.

Moss said health care in the Valley, which deals with cases that meet or exceed the national average for co-occurring disorders, could be significantly enhanced by learning more about these disorders.

Although local health care is exceptional right now, he added, the Valley could stay on top of health care trends by continuing to keep an eye on this facet of care.

"Our need reflects the need of the nation," he said.

On the third Thursday of every month, a few of CoDI's nine workers have held a workshop open to health practitioners and occasionally the public on the various methods used to address co-occurring disorders. These workshops have covered a total of about 40 different topics, and often involved guest speakers and other experts.

"We try to condense and distill all of the literature and information out there into a two-hour presentation to allow people to take that knowledge home with them," said Moss.

In addition to these visitors, CoDI has sponsored a number of national experts who have come to the Valley with professional outlooks on the problems that the institute addresses. Moss said these events have many beneficial returns, including not only an advancement of health care methods in the entire area, but also an economic boost for local businesses, since as many as 170 to 175 additional people attracted by the experts patronize Valley hotels, restaurants, and other businesses during the time of their visits.

In the past, CoDI has brought Kim Mueser, author of manuals on dual diagnosis and co-occurring disorders from Dartmouth College, Sarah Sparrow, a child development specialist from Yale University, and Erin Bigler, a national expert on traumatic brain injury, to the Valley for seminars.

Another seminar is scheduled for September, Moss said. However, it might be CoDI's last hurrah, since the expiration of their grant, barring the receipt of other funding. New grants might extend the project's lifespan up to the end of December 2004, but Moss said that a "shift of funding priorities on the state level," very well might spell doom for CoDI.

This disbanding may happen regardless of the fact that the program, which has tried to get as much results as possible out of its 2001 grant money, hasn't even used up all of its allotted funds.

"We've been good stewards of our grant money," said Moss. Public support of CoDI, including public letters to Congress to help drum up funding, might help somewhat, he added.

"CoDI created this institute to provide distinct objectives within a very unique constellation of providers," Moss said.

The program, originally hosted by LifeQuest, drew experts from Mat-Su Services for Children and Adults and Mat-Su Recovery Services to perform literature searches, compile training materials, and draw up workshops for health providers not only within the Valley, but elsewhere.

CoDI has performed workshops in Fairbanks, Barrow, and Anchorage as well as their regular talks in Wasilla.

"It's a community resource," said Moss. "We want to let the community to know that they have this resource and that it's been used by many, many providers out there."

CoDI is connected to the larger institution of Behavioral Health Services of Mat-Su (formerly LifeQuest), which provides emergency mental health, grief counseling, psychiatric assessment and treatment, child and adolescent services, and a pair of houses (Colony House and Wasey House) that provide a safe place for sufferers emotional and behavioral disorders. Moss said that the institution as a whole "provides services in support of positive outcome and increased social harmony."

Contact Daniel Spoth at daniel.spoth@frontiersman.com.