Project ASSERT has earned a designation into SAMHSA’s National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP), receiving high scores across its review criteria.

According to its website, NREPP is “a searchable online registry of mental health and substance abuse interventions that have been reviewed and rated by independent reviewers. The purpose of this registry is to assist the public in identifying approaches to preventing and treating mental and/or substance use disorders that have been scientifically tested and that can be readily disseminated to the field.”  After a thorough application process that included submission of background, supporting research and program curriculum, NREPP reviews and scores a program in areas of research and readiness for dissemination.  Project ASSERT received a 3.2-3.8 / 4 on the research quality of four supporting studies and 4 / 4 on readiness for dissemination.

According to Dr. Ed Bernstein:

The NREPP designation is a culmination of our 15 years of published research and of the BNI-ART effort for program dissemination.  The SAMHSA NREPP review process represents an attempt to provide the field with a high level of validated information.  The scores we received in the review are extraordinary and are easily in the top 10% of over 200 programs reviewed.  Research, practice, and programs clearly have interacted and informed one another.

None of this would have been possible without the dedicated health promotion advocates (HPAs) who work tirelessly to understand patients and their health concerns, and connect them with appropriate services.

Edited by Llaen Coston-Clark