Access Community Health Network is taking an integrated, standardized approach to helping patients with alcohol and substance use disorders. With the continuation of a program that is supported by grants from The Chicago Community Trust and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, ACCESS uses routine tests to help patients. Just as checking blood pressure can reveal health issues and guide recommendations for a healthier lifestyle, universal screening for alcohol and substance use helps ACCESS clinicians recognize an existing health problem before it worsens or becomes fatal.

ACCESS has adapted SBIRT as its universal screening model. SBIRT stands for Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment and is a method for delivering early intervention and treatment services to people with, or at risk of developing, alcohol and substance use disorders. “We’ve trained our providers and care team members to administer best practice screening tools that assess for problematic alcohol and substance use,” said ACCESS Director of Behavioral Health Suzanne Snyder. “This is done in an atmosphere that reduces the stigma and educates our patients to expect this service as part of their comprehensive primary care visit.” For more information about ACCESS’ SBIRT program, call Rosalind McGee, Supervisor of SBIRT II, at 312.526.2111.