Policy
Westat conducts research to answer important policy questions on the prevention and treatment
of ATOD-related problems. These questions bear on program design and regulation, and the sound allocation of
public and private resources.
- Westat serves as the CSAP Data Coordinating Center (DCC) to consolidate research data from all of the
CSAP-funded projects and present them as a meaningful whole. We are performing the following:
- Organizing and summarizing existing CSAP program research data sets,
- Conducting analysis within and across the data sets, and
- Promoting use of the data sets within the research community for secondary data analysis and need assessment.
- Funded by NIAAA, the Impact of Terminating Substance Abuse Disability Benefit project examines the
effects of legislation that terminated SSA's Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income benefits for
persons diagnosed with drug or alcohol addiction, also known as DA&A recipients. In conducting the study, which
focuses on Washington State, Westat aims to estimate the following:
- Net impact of the law on service utilization and labor force participation among the DA&A population; and
- Economic impact of the benefits termination on Federal, state, and local government resources.
- Westat's Evaluation of the Buprenorphine Waiver project assesses the impact of a Federal waiver
allowing buprenorphine, a new medication for the treatment of opioid addiction, to be prescribed through doctors'
offices and other treatment settings. Funded by CSAT, we are assessing the extent to which the waiver increases
the availability and effectiveness of treatment for opioid addiction without creating other public health problems.
The study results will be used to do the following:
- Inform a decision on continuing the waiver program,
- Guide CSAT's processing/monitoring system, and
- Shape future research and policy concerning addiction treatment.
For more information about the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Other Drug Studies Research Area,
please send us a message.
