Campus Description
Bristol Community College (BCC), is a comprehensive public community college in Fall River, Massachusetts, with a student population of approximately 21,000 people. Residents from Fall River, one of the largest cities in the service area, are admitted to publicly funded treatment programs at double the average crude rate for other Massachusetts communities. Injection drug use, specifically heroin use; among these residents is reported at four times the average of admissions from other communities. Furthermore, prior to CORE, BCC did not provide access to substance abuse identification or treatment programs for students.

Program Model
Screening is conducted by CORE Strategies using the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST), Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), and the mental health portion of the Global Assessment of Individual Needs; Short Screener (GAIN-SS). Students who participate in a brief intervention and agree to brief treatment are further assessed with the Global Assessment of Individual Needs, Quick (GAIN-Q).

Brief intervention is conducted using motivational interviewing by the staff who conduct screenings. Students needing short-term treatment are referred on campus (Fall River and New Bedford) or at Stanley Street Treatment and Rehabilitation Services (SSTAR) and participate in the evidence-based protocol, Motivational Enhancement Therapy/Cognitive Behavioral Therapy 5 (MET/CBT 5).

Students assessed as needing more intensive treatment or treatment for other mental health, behavioral or health issues are referred to SSTAR or the appropriate resource.

Campus outreach is conducted through programs and events, posters, cards, e-mail to students, classroom presentations, and a kiosk at the Student Center, which is staffed during special events and high traffic periods. SSTAR has a bilingual/bicultural clinician knowledgeable about Pcrtuguese culture and values and able to design culturally-appropriate outreach and treatment interventions. Collaborators: Stanley Street Treatment and Rehabilitation Services (SSTAR) National Perinatal Information Center (NPIC) 8CC Connections Center BCC QUEST Program 8CC Office of Disability Service BCC CAST Program BCC Enrollment Center 8CC Tutoring and Academic Support Center

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The following statistics are from data collected by CORE Strategies, as of December 2007:

• 1/3 screened in the "at risk" category for alcohol and/or drug use
• approximately 20% reported binge drinking at a frequency of at least monthly
• 90% use alcohol
• 49% use marijuana
• 15% use narcotics (mostly pills, reporting very few days of use)
• a significant percentage of students reported mental health symptoms:
  • 7% have had thoughts of suicide;
  • 13% have hit someone/been in a physical fight;
  • 8% have been a bully/threatened others

As of December 2007, CORE met 105% of its enrollment target . The current six-month follow up rate is 86%. The effect of CORE interventions is reflected in the following outcome data:

• with brief intervention, there was a 21% decrease in the number of participants who were binge drinking
• with brief intervention and treatment, there was a 57% decrease in the number of participants who were binge drinking
• within each group, even for those who continued to report binge drinking, the number of times they did so decreased dramatically
• with brief intervention, there was a 65% decrease in the number of participants who used drugs.
• with brief intervention and treatment, there was a 70% decrease in the number of participants who used drugs.

CORE has a very strong presence on campus, and students are also able to access all of the services available at SSTAR. Yearly, more than 1000 students received information about CORE and drug or alcohol-related topics. Three hundred fifty students completed screenings each year and participated in individualized feedback sessions through a structured brief intervention that incorporates motivational strategies.

Building on the successful collaboration between BCC and SSTAR, screening and brief intervention will continue to be offered to students on campus through a satellite of SSTAR's primary care health center.