Tampa Bay Practice Improvement Collaborative

MISSION

The Tampa Bay Practice Improvement Collaborative (PIC) is designed to bridge gaps in communication and collaboration among the research community, substance abuse prevention and treatment service providers, criminal justice professionals, policymakers, and service recipients in the Tampa Bay area. The goal of this PIC is to improve service coordination for substance-involved individuals in the criminal justice system and to implement evidence-based practices that address service delivery needs.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

• The Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute (FMHI), University of South Florida
• Agency for Community Treatment Services, Inc. (ACTS)
• Drug Abuse Comprehensive Coordinating Office, Inc. (DACCO)
• Operation PAR, Inc.
• Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
• The Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association (FADAA), a statewide advocacy organization
• Criminal justice agencies
• Service recipients

GOVERNANCE

The Management Team meets bimonthly and includes the Co-Project Directors and project managers from FMHI, site coordinators from the four treatment provider agencies (ACTS, DACCO, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Operation PAR). The Core Network Group serves as the primary vehicle for project planning and policy development and includes approximately 50 members, including representatives from all the member organizations. This group meets bimonthly. The Advisory Board consists of administrators and policymakers from state substance abuse and criminal justice agencies and advocacy groups, and a client-consultant. The seven board members meet twice each year with the Management Team to provide overall guidance.

STAKEHOLDER EDUCATION AND ENGAGEMENT

The Tampa Bay PIC organizes a Statewide Research-to-Practice Consortium meeting three times each year and sponsors an ongoing series of best practices seminars, research colloquia, and other workshops and policy forums, addressing such topics as the use of cognitive-behavioral treatment with criminal justice clients, treatment of co-occurring disorders, and the role of policymakers in supporting the adoption of best practices. The PIC also publishes a quarterly newsletter, develops and distributes practice briefs on evidence-based practices, and maintains a website and member listserv.

PRACTICE IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS

EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES

• Integrated mental health and substance abuse (MH/SA) treatment for people with co-occurring disorders in the criminal justice system
• Gender-sensitive treatment interventions for women in the criminal justice system

IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES

• Conduct expert panel review of evidence-based practices and treatment and training protocols for co-occurring disorders and gender-sensitive treatment
• Identify peer opinion leaders and provide initial and followup training on the integrated MH/SA treatment protocol
• Conduct workshops for opinion leaders and practitioners at four local treatment agencies on an integrated MH/SA treatment protocol
• Provide similar training in use of a gender-sensitive treatment protocol for staff at the four local treatment agencies

EVALUATION ACTIVITIES

• Evaluate the effectiveness of standard versus peer training methods in implementing integrated treatment for co-occurring MH/SA disorders
• Evaluate the effectiveness of standard versus peer training methods to implement gender-sensitive treatment interventions for women
• Assess organizational readiness to implement evidence-based treatment protocols

CONTACT INFORMATION