DBHR services are planned and delivered using a research-based planning framework and model to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors to help teens stay healthy and succeed in school.
To ensure publicly-funded services are effective, DBHR collaborates with the Oregon Health Authority to maintain a list of programs and strategies deemed to be evidence-based. The Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) list is available at www.theathenaforum.org and includes a searchable database. The programs on the EBP list meet the following criteria:
1. They are shown in at least two studies to produce intended results;
2. They include 'substance abuse prevention' as an area of interest; and
3. They come from at least one of the following primary sources:
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Registry for Evidence-Based Programs and Practices(NREPP); or
- The State of Oregon's list of EBPs; or
- The Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation's Scientific Evidence for Developing a Logic Model on Underage Drinking: A Reference Guide for Community Environmental Prevention.
DBHR and the Oregon Health Authority have established an annual submission and review process for additional programs to be considered for the Excellence in Prevention (EIP) EBP list. Both agencies will conduct a collaborative, biannual review of programs that have been removed from the NREPP website. Program removal from the EIP database will result upon agreement by both state agencies, and the prevention field will be notified about updates to the list.
For evidence-based prevention programs, the Washington State Institute for Public Policy Report, Benefits and Costs of Prevention and Early Intervention Programs for Youth, shows that prevention programs will save Washington State tax payers over $40 million from reductions in juvenile crime, substance abuse, mental health disorders, teen pregnancies, school failure, violence and injuries.
For more information about EPBs, contact Julia.Havens@dshs.wa.gov.