For immediate release: November 19, 2003
For more information, contact Jeff Bendix at 216-368-6070 or jeff.bendix@case.edu

CLEVELAND—A Case Western Reserve University-based partnership designed to help people who suffer from severe mental disorders and abuse drugs or alcohol has been awarded nearly $1 million over three years from the Ohio Department of Mental Health for a program to assist such people in finding and keeping jobs.

The organization receiving the funding is the Substance Abuse and Mental Illness Coordinating Center of Excellence (SAMI CCOE), a joint venture between the Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences and the Department of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine. The funds will be used to develop and evaluate a "Supported Employment Resource Kit" to assist patients with so-called dual disorders.

The money comes from the Ohio Department of Mental Health, which receives it from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service's Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration.

"Promoting prosperity is a key goal of my administration and employment is the key to prosperity for many Ohioans," Ohio Gov. Bob Taft said. ."This funding will provide the opportunity to greatly increase the level of employment and economic independence of people recovering from serious mental illness."

Lenore Kola

"We are extremely pleased to be chosen to partner with the State of Ohio in this program," said Lenore Kola, co-director of SAMI CCOE, associate professor at the Mandel School and dean of graduate studies at Case. "Successfully implementing the Supported Employment Resource Kit will mark Ohio, and Case, as leaders in the treatment of patients experiencing dual disorders."

Kola explained that the Supported Employment Resource Kit consists of curriculum guidelines for developing and implementing programs to support dual disorder patients by helping them find the right employment opportunity and then using a variety of strategies to help them stay employed.
"The idea of the program is that once a person is placed in a job created by an employment specialist who is part of the person's treatment team, we want to help them however we can, whether it be visiting them at the job site and providing coaching, meeting with the employer to solve problems, or providing ongoing counseling," she explained.

The curriculum was developed as part of the "evidence-based practice" (EBP) movement for treatment of patients with mental illnesses.

The SAMI CCOE program was established in 2000 as part of a state-wide initiative to improve the quality of mental health care in Ohio. Since then it has helped more than 20 agencies develop and implement Integrated Dual Disorders Treatment, an evidenced-based approach to treating individuals with co-occurring substance abuse and mental disorders treatment programs. That work has helped ODMH and the SAMI CCOE be selected for the new project, according to Robert Ronis, vice chair for education and director of public psychiatry in the medical school's psychiatry department, and co-director of the SAMI CCOE program.

"Supported Employment is one of several evidence-based practices that are components of dual-disorder treatment. We had the infrastructure already in place, in terms of training personnel and relationships with agencies around the state, and saw this as an opportunity to enhance our primary mission." Ronis said.

Ronis added that the contract with the state will make SAMI CCOE the first program in the state to provide training and technical assistance for more than one evidence-based practice, and a national model for EBP implementation.

"We think that with our strength in EBPs successful track record we have the potential to become central to the center for the entire EBP movement," Ronis said. "We have already been approached by several other states who are hoping to replicate our experience - but our primary focus remains on the state of Ohio."

SAMI CCOE currently has close to $1 million in funding for this fiscal year from the Ohio Departments of Mental Health and Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services and the Bruening Foundation to implement these two evidence-based practices.

About Case Western Reserve University

Case is among the nation's leading research institutions. Founded in 1826 and shaped by the unique merger of the Case Institute of Technology and Western Reserve University, Case is distinguished by its strengths in education, research, and service. Located in Cleveland, Case offers nationally recognized programs in the Arts and Sciences, Dentistry, Engineering, Law, Management, Medicine, Nursing, and Social Sciences. http://www.case.edu.

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