MANCHESTER, NH – WestBridge, Inc. announces the online publication of Outcomes of a Residential and Community-Based Co-Occurring Disorders Treatment Program in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. A print copy will be available soon. [See more resources at the bottom of the story.]
“This study shows that long-term recovery is achievable with the kind of programming supported by WestBridge. We are in a developing field and people aren’t always sure what works and why. Research puts meaning into families’ experiences to empower them to get the best possible results,” Kevin Keefe, LICSW, CAI Chief of Service Excellence and Compliance said.
Independent researchers at both Westat and The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice found that integrated, evidence-based treatment can be effective for men with co-occurring disorders who did not benefit from prior treatment. The study analyzed participants at WestBridge who were most commonly diagnosed with Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, Bipolar I Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, and Polysubstance Use Disorder or Cannabis Use Disorder. Most had previously experienced multiple hospitalizations and treatment episodes, employment disruption, family distress, and legal involvement.
The study concluded that individuals who engaged in services for at least one year benefitted substantially and were in recovery across various domains, including: level of functioning, family relationship status, housing stability, educational and employment activities, and mental health and substance use disorder management. These factors are integrated into the WestBridge model of care. Treatment completion and family involvement were key components. Continuity of care between residential and Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), combining multiple research-based interventions, and an intensive family program are unique features that may have contributed to the results.
Noted in the original third-party validated white paper, yet not in the journal article, is that of men who completed the residential program, and completed or remained in the ACT program, 97 percent were in active recovery versus 33 percent of those who did not complete the treatment continuum. Further, re-hospitalization rates following successful program completion were close to zero.
Few treatment programs provide multiple simultaneous high-fidelity interventions, and little research exists on the topic. As public health systems lack resources to provide this level of intervention, WestBridge’s private, recovery-oriented system of care was a unique testing ground. WestBridge does not have affiliations with other treatment providers. Additionally, one of the contributors/authors is a former WestBridge employee.
WestBridge is a CARF accredited non-profit organization, founded in 2001, dedicated to supporting the long-term recovery of adult men and their families that experience co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders. WestBridge provides both residential treatment and community-based outpatient treatment using evidence-based practices that have been proven to work. The integrated treatment model addresses both disorders concurrently, in the same setting, by the same team. WestBridge also embraces families throughout the process, helping them to learn, communicate and become trusting partners in recovery.
Additional resources
Abstract: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11469-020-00251-x Study: https://rdcu.be/b29NE
Original White Paper: https://www.westbridge.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/WestBridge-Outcomes-Publication.pdf
