New Orleans Practice Improvement Collaborative

(NOPIC)

strives to build partnerships among substance abuse providers, researchers, and consumers, and promote evidence based practice for the treatment of substance abuse in Southern Louisiana through:

Knowledge Adoption Activities & Projects

To promote evidence based practice for the treatment of substance involved individuals, NOPIC conducted two 2-day trainings on Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET). The first training was conducted on November 15th and 16th, 2002 and the second training was conducted on March 14th and 15th, 2003. Trainees also attended a 4-hour booster session approximately one month after the original training to further hone their MET skills and discuss barriers and facilitators to MET adoption in their workplace.

NOPIC Publications

NOPIC News: In addition to maintaining the present website, current NOPIC happenings are presented in a quarterly newsletter. NOPIC News is produced for substance abuse service providers and consumers in Southern Louisiana. The publication includes information about NOPIC projects, innovative treatment programs, and consumer perspectives.

MET Manual: The NOPIC Project Implementation Team modified the MET manual used in Project MATCH. NOPIC's manual was modified for use by clinicians, particularly those who attended the MET training. The manual includes appendices on the application of MET with incarcerated- and post-incarcerated substance abusers and with adolescent substance abusers (our target groups).

Knowledge Dissemination & Exchange

NOPIC sponsors monthly ASAPP (Association for Substance Abuse Providers and Professionals) luncheon meetings. The meetings are held on the third Tuesday of every month from 11:30 to 1:00 p.m. The purpose of the meetings is to develop a communication network and promote information dissemination workshops on the latest trends in substance abuse research. In addition, continuing education units (CEUs) are provided for BSAC and LCSW attendees.

A quarterly newsletter highlights information about NOPIC activities, community events, research findings, consumer issues, and notable community services.

The Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) listserve was established by NOPIC to facilitate exchange of ideas concerning evidence based practice, MET. Members of the listserve can ask MET experts questions about the application of this treatment approach for work in various settings and with diverse populations. They may also share successes and challenges related to the adoption of MET in their work environments. To join the listserve, e-mail NOPIC Principal Investigator, Rick Ager.

The Provider-Researcher Database for the New Orleans Substance Abuse Community was designed to inform the substance abuse community about resources in their area, including researchers who have skills in program evaluation, grant writing, and/or treatment outcome research. NOPIC also compiled a list of community resources and provider information.

NOPIC revised the MATCH MET Manual based on focus group feedback from practitioners and consumers. NOPIC's MET manual with then distributed as part of the MET training.

Research

The NOPIC Research Team conducts ongoing research on barriers and facilitators to the adoption of MET. They are particularly interested in the application of MET within special populations including substance-involved adolescents and post-incarcerated adults. The NOPIC Research Team is also examining the efficacy of the MET training conducted in November 2002 and March 2003.

WHO IS NOPIC?