Health Strategies Planning Council


In the News

  • "Save the Dates”  FASD/RPTC Demo Project Training for Providers and Families, April 29- May 2
    at Anchorage
    Downtown Hilton

FASD/RPTC Home and Community Demonstration Project

Modeling, Mentoring and Monitoring: Alaska’s focus for youth with dual-diagnoses

Children with disabilities, such as those with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and those who are Severe Emotionally Disturbance (SED), are particularly difficult to identify. These youth are often misdiagnosed and are subsequently provided with treatment that is often ineffective. Youth with an FASD and SED stay in residential psychiatric treatment centers (RPTC) nearly twice as long as the general population because traditional mental health treatments are ineffective due to the brain damage caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol. As these youth age, the health issues become more complex; coping and learning skills are often compromised so they are more susceptible to pregnancy, poverty, drug and alcohol abuse, incarceration and victimization.

The FASD/RPTC Demonstration Project will be launched in October 2007 with the goal of reducing the number of youth, ages 14 to 21, in RPTCs who are dual-diagnosed with FASD and SED. The Demonstration Project will focus on services that mirror the Alaska Native practices of modeling desired behaviors and mentoring children to learn their roles in a larger culture while monitoring the youth as the treatment is delivered. This is especially important because Native Americans are disproportionally represented in the target group.

The outcomes as a result of this project are expected to include:

  • Accurate diagnoses and effective interventions that will reduce the number of FASD/ SED youth returning to out-of-state RPTC care and reduce the overall length of stay for the target population;
  • FASD trained specialists will develop case plans specific to each child in the demonstration, based on a method of modeling, mentoring and monitoring;
  • Effective treatment plans based on accurate diagnoses will reduce the service delivery costs; the target group will show functional improvement in life; and the majority of clients will receive services to their satisfaction.

The project is funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the amount of $15.4 million dollars but this does not represent new money to the state.  Rather, this project allows Alaska to use Medicaid money formerly spent on residential psychiatric treatment on new home and community based services.  Alaska was one out of 10 states chosen for this demonstration and is the only state targeting interventions based on modeling, mentoring and monitoring for these dually-diagnosed 14 to 21 year olds.  Our hope is that Alaska will become a model for other states at the end of the five-year project.

To learn more about the FASD/RPTC Demonstration Project, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions section. You may also contact us at FASDRPTCComments@health.state.ak.us.

For more information about FASD or SED, visit the Web at www.hss.state.ak.us/fas/.

Questions?: Email: FASDRPTCComments@health.state.ak.us