Dena A Coy Program

Abstract

Objectives
It is the goal of this Treatment Capacity Expansion project to increase the capacity and enhance the services of the Dena A Coy Program to provide ?wrap-around? treatment services to a greater number of women through the outpatient program. Women who may benefit from the intensity of a residential program and are unable to do so due to limitations in residential treatment capacity are prioritized for this project. The outpatient program strives to reduce alcoholism and drug abuse among women with child welfare involvement, recipients of public assistance and/or women who are homeless or at risk of homelessness with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders. This will be done a number of ways including: improvement of primary physical health reducing morbidity and mortality, improvement in emotional mental health and psychological well-being, enhancement of socioeconomic protective factors while decreasing risky behavior, decreased involvement in criminal activity (including but not limited to acts such as interpersonal violence, child abuse, and illegal activity surrounding substance use or dependence), and to enhance the mother-child relationship and reduce the incidence of abuse and neglect.

Indian Nation Served
Inupiaq, Yup?ik, Aleut, Athabascan, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimsian

Key Components
The outpatient program is a component for the continuum of care provided by the Dena A Coy Program, providing many of the services provided by its residential treatment program. Treatment focuses on strengths, not weakness and powerlessness. These strengths and needs are identified during a thorough assessment process which allows the treatment to be tailored to each individual. Great importance is placed on family well-being, including the children of clients. Appropriate referrals are made for children if a need presents itself. The outpatient program continually works towards healthy families, not just healthy mothers. Intensive case management is provided and integrated into treatment to support women in accessing pertinent services in the community that are not provided directly by the program including housing, clothing, childcare vouchers and public assistance. The planning process has begun for facilities supporting supervised and transitional living have begun. Close working relationships with other Southcentral Foundation departments such as mental health, Early Head Start, and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Diagnostic Services are maintained to provide a seamless system of care.

Evaluation Design
The outpatient project evaluates the fidelity of the program by measuring the objectives set forth in the grant narrative. Two fundamental models used in program evaluation are the Utilization-Focused Evaluation and the Self-Adjusting Treatment Evaluation Model. These two models stress the importance of user friendly evaluation results and establish a continuous cycle of evaluation for ongoing adjustments and improvements. Semi-Structured interviews are also used to collect data for GPRA information. Once the information is obtained, it is coded and sent to an independent evaluator for review. Clients are offered a financial incentive to participate in the interviews every six months.

Evaluation Results
The outpatient project evaluates the fidelity of the program by measuring the objectives set forth in the grant narrative. Two fundamental models used in program evaluation are the Utilization-Focused Evaluation and the Self-Adjusting Treatment Evaluation Model. These two models stress the importance of user friendly evaluation results and establish a continuous cycle of evaluation for ongoing adjustments and improvements. Semi-Structured interviews are also used to collect data for GPRA information. Once the information is obtained, it is coded and sent to an independent evaluator for review. Clients are offered a financial incentive to participate in the interviews every six months.

Products Developed
None specified.