Although the state grant will allow the two county behavioral health boards an opportunity to develop the county's first model treatment program for SAMI clients, it will not cover the cost of the most crucial component needed for such an endeavor, that is, staff training in treating this population. The grant from the Health Foundation of Greater Cincinnati will allow the boards to implement training by experts in the field of dual diagnosis for three groups: The staff of the new dual diagnosis project, the staff of the alcohol and drug addiction and mental health providers based in Butler County, and a broader spectrum of professionals in the community who also deal with dual diagnosis clients such as the members of the criminal justice field.

Ten training events for 2000 have been scheduled and two have taken place. All of the experts in the field targeted in the proposal are conducting trainings. The only event not yet confirmed is a trip by the program staff to a model program in Eugene, Oregon. Detailed information on the training events can be obtained by contacting the ADAS Board of Butler County.

Working in collaboration with the Family and Children First Council, Butler County Mental Health Board, Butler County Juvenile Court, Butler County Children's Services Board, Butler County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, Butler County Educational Resource Center, Care Case Management, service providers, and family and client representatives, the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services Board is directing a strategic planning initiative to develop a comprehensive plan to improve the integration and delivery of mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment, and children's services for adolescents of Butler County.

A collaborative team of key stakeholders has been identified as the Leadership Team and the ADAS Board has hired a Project Director, effective January, 2000. In the first two months of the project, the Team and Project Director have been able to: formulate the vision, mission, and goals of the strategic plan; create an organizational structure for directing the planning process; conduct site visits to multiple service providers; identify appropriate data elements for collection and analysis; develop a data collection strategy; articulate system-wide research objectives; publish a Request for Proposals for consultant expertise in the processes of completing a needs assessment, developing a model for service delivery; conducting a feasibility study; and preparing an implementation plan with fiscal strategies; and evaluate the proposals received and determine the top two candidates to interview.