Primary Care Projects: Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)

Project Description
Fort Bend County received approval to develop a project that will enhance the integration of behavioral health services into a primary care setting for the Medicaid, under-insured and uninsured population. AccessHealth, the local Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). The proposed project will enhance the current health care delivery system by adding a Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment model (SBIRT) in the AccessHealth FQHC clinic. SBIRT’s early intervention approach targets those with non-dependent substance use to provide effective strategies for intervention prior to the need for more extensive or specialized treatment. This approach is designed to detect current health problems related to at-risk alcohol and substance use at an early stage, before they result in more serious disease or other health problems.

Goals and Relationship to Regional Goals
The goal of this project is to enhance the delivery of integrated behavioral health services within a primary care setting (local FQHC) by adding a Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment model (SBRIT). This project will result in early detection of alcohol and substance abuse disorders and referral to appropriate services / interventions.

The project addresses the following regional goals:

  • Develop a regional approach to health care delivery that leverages and improves on existing programs and infrastructure that is responsive to patient needs throughout the entire region.
  • Improve health care outcomes.
  • Increase access to primary and specialty care services.

5-year Expected Outcome for Provider and Patients
Fort Bend County expects to achieve improvements in early intervention practices and health status of the targeted population, better utilization of available community resources, including wrap around services, and decreased use of high cost emergency departments and EMS for non-urgent health conditions.

For more information, please contact: 1115waiver@fortbendcountytx.gov.