Pasadena Charity Hillsides Selected to Participate in National Initiative to Reduce Adolescent Substance Abuse

The National Council for Behavioral Health has selected Hillsides as one of 29 community behavioral health organizations from across six states to participate in the Reducing Adolescent Substance Abuse Initiative.

This two-and-a-half year project is designed to help providers systematically implement a screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) protocol to address substance use among adolescents ages 15–22 who receive services for an emotional disturbance or a psychiatric disorder. The project will also address how Medicaid, through its early periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment benefit, can pay for SBIRT services. The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation supports this project.

The other selected California participants are:

• California Council of Community Mental Health Agencies (State Lead)
• Bill Wilson Center
• Hathaway-Sycamores Child and Family Services
• Pacific Clinics
• Turning Point of Central California, Inc.

Participation in this initiative will enable Hillsides to provide more comprehensive care to its clients, said Cindy Real, Hillsides director of the Chemical Dependency Awareness and Prevention program. Clients will now be screened and treated for substance abuse issues as part of a holistic approach to treatment. The National Council for Behavioral Health will also train and mentor Hillsides staff in substance abuse screening, diagnosis, intervention, and billing.

Hillsides launched a Chemical Dependency Awareness and Prevention program last spring. Families throughout Los Angeles County have access to the program through the agency’s Family Resource Centers and school-based sites.

Hillsides, headquartered in Pasadena, is a premier provider dedicated to improving the overall well-being and functioning of vulnerable children, youth, and their families throughout Los Angeles County. It consists of four core programs: Family Resource Centers that offer numerous community-based programs and services; Residential Treatment Services that provide a safe and stable environment for children unable to live at home; an Education Center, a therapeutic residential and day school for children with emotional or behavioral challenges; and Youth Moving On, a program for youth formerly in foster care who are transitioning to adulthood. For more information, please visit www.hillsides.org.