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From Dr. Broderick: Bringing Science to Services

Eric B. Broderick, D.D.S., M.P.H.
Assistant Surgeon General
SAMHSA Acting Deputy Administrator

In 2001, the Institute of Medicine released a report stating that “Between the health care we have and the health care we could have lies not just a gap, but a chasm.” Among the myriad causes, according to the report, Crossing the Quality Chasm, is a lag of 17 years between the publication of health care research results and their impact on treatment delivery.

To narrow this chasm, SAMHSA launched the Science-to-Services agenda. A systematic, Agency-wide effort, Science to Services brings effective, evidence-based mental health and substance abuse interventions into routine clinical practice. It also strengthens feedback from clinicians to fine-tune and frame investigations by services research programs.

This issue of SAMHSA News highlights the Blending Initiative, a key effort to enhance communication between the scientific and clinical communities.

Launched in 2001 as a joint effort by SAMHSA and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the Blending Initiative seeks to bring important scientific findings into mainstream addiction treatment practice more quickly than in the past.

Underlying the Initiative is the idea that effective practices based on scientifically tested evidence can be described and packaged into readily accessible tools and provided to treatment professionals. By supporting these activities, the Blending Initiative has enabled SAMHSA, for the first time, to bring research-based practices to clinicians at almost the same time the research is published in the field.

Research constantly expands the boundaries of our understanding and our options for helping people with mental and addictive disorders. But we cannot effect change unless we translate our knowledge into action. The Blending Initiative provides a bridge to achieving our ultimate goal, which is to improve the quality of services that people receive to enhance their recovery.