After inpatient drug rehab programs, what support works best?
By Lisa DeNike
November 30, 2009
As of Nov. 18, 86 jobs had been created at Johns Hopkins directly from ARRA funding, including those for research technicians, lab assistants, research nurses, information technology people of various types, exercise physiologists and research administration trainees. In addition, positions have been saved when other grants ran out. Stitzer has hired three full-time research assistants for her project. They will be helping the residential clients with their aftercare planning and working with the outpatient clinics to provide a smooth transition for those who do decide to attend outpatient aftercare.
One of the greatest challenges in helping substance abusers recover is ensuring that they have access to—and participate in—follow-up care, counseling and support after their release from inpatient rehabilitation programs.
Using a $959,822 National Institute on Drug Abuse grant funded by the federal stimulus act, Maxine Stitzer, a professor in the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine’s Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit, will study what programs are most successful in helping encourage people coming out of inpatient treatment centers to enroll in care that will support their recovery.
“Recovery from substance abuse is a long-term process because of the chronic, relapsing nature of the disease. So continuing support is helpful for clients to be successful,” said Stitzer, a behavioral psychologist whose research focuses on both pharmacologic and behavioral approaches to treating substance abuse. “Our goal is to find out what methods will best help patients to enroll in outpatient care.”
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