ALCOHOL AND DRUG USE IS A MEDICAL ISSUE

HOUSTON - Early identification of alcohol and drug use in the clinical
setting can reduce the negative effect on public health, say researchers at
Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in Houston.

"Alcohol and drug use is a medical issue as opposed to a character or moral
issue and there is a national movement to develop and adopt a 'best
practice' approach to addressing it within the scope of routine patient
care," said Dr. Katherine McQueen, InSight medical director and assistant
professor of medicine at BCM. "We hope that using the InSight simple
screening and referral process will reduce repeat visits to the emergency
room and outpatient clinics."

As part of the InSight program's model, medical professionals learn to
accurately screen for alcohol, drugs and tobacco. The InSight screening
practice uses a specialized model to establish screening brief
intervention, referral and treatment practices. It helps health care
providers diagnose and treat patients with a more complete view of their
overall health and it creates opportunities for patients to access
objective, non-judgmental counsel on how alcohol and drugs affect their health.

Health care providers and staff are provided badge cards after a short
training session on the InSight program. The card displays three simple
questions which were developed to elicit honest and accurate responses from
patients. Patients who screen positive receive counseling, a referral or
treatment, hopefully reducing the likelihood of repeat visits to the
emergency room.

More than 50,000 patients have been screened at Ben Taub General Hospital
for alcohol and drug use through the program. Of the 8,500 who received
intervention, 71 percent of alcohol drinkers reduced the number of days
they drank alcohol and 80 percent of drug users reported no usage in the
past 30 days.

"Using this model at Ben Taub has proven effective. We hope to establish
this in many outpatient and emergency centers as possible," McQueen said.
"We hope to establish a system that will put an end to America's top public
health challenge."

InSight is a collaborative program funded by the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration through a cooperative agreement with The State of Texas
Department of State Health Services. Collaborators include the Harris
County Hospital District, The Council on Alcohol and Drugs Houston, Baylor
College of Medicine, The University of Texas Health Science Center at
Houston and The University of Texas at Austin Addiction Research Institute.

For more information on the project, visit the InSight website at
www.insightforhealth.com.