Mount Olive One-Stop Center

Background/Purpose

The purpose of the Mt Olive One Stop Center project was to enhance substance abuse treatment and HIV/AIDS-related services to African-American adult men and women who had been released from prison or jail within the past two years.

The enhancement strategy included a neighborhood-based coalition approach with grass-roots partners and professional organizations. The coalition operated the Mt. Olive One-Stop Center, which provided free, rapid HIV-testing, health education, employment assistance and a food and clothing pantry in a faith-based, community-center setting. The Center also used an existing, licensed kitchen to serve light meals and offer Internet access to assist with GED and training activities.

Goals

The objectives of the Mt. Olive One-Stop Center were to get clients to engage in the following activities:

  • Assess their risk for HIV due to their past or present substance use.
  • Be tested for HIV.
  • Address the individual, environmental, and health system barriers that interfere with successful substance abuse recovery.
  • Identify and access resources that are important to them and their ability to engage in lifestyle changes that will successfully keep them out of prison/jail.

Outcomes

All (n=375) Mt. Olive Participants received Strength-based case management to assist them with treatment and/ or recovery supports, access HIV counseling and testing, advocate for services, and assist clients with recognizing their strengths and abilities to achieve their goals.

251 Received HIV Testing

303 of the 375 (80.8%) enrolled clients received HIV education.

A paired-samples t-test was conducted to compare substance use between baseline and follow-up interview points. Statistically significant reductions in past 30-day alcohol use, number of days using alcohol to intoxication (5 or more drinks/sitting), and illegal drug use were observed between intake and follow-up.

The percentage of participants who had a permanent place to live in the community increased from 62.0% at baseline to 83.3% at follow-up,

There was a slight increase in the percentage of clients who were currently employed either full-time or part-time, from 4.1% and 6.6% (respectively) at baseline to 9.9% and 7.6% at follow-up.
There was also a decrease in the number of consumers reporting being unemployed between baseline (86.9%) and follow-up (82.5%);

Statistically significant reductions in average # of days arrested, average # of nights in jail/prison, and # the times committed a crime in the past 30 days were observed between intake and follow-up

Perceptions of health status increased between baseline and follow-up. At baseline, 66.3% rated their current, overall health as ‘excellent’, ‘very good’, or ‘good’. At follow-up this increased to 70.9%, -Social connectedness (N=301) increased between baseline and follow-up, from 28.7% to 43.0%

Grant Type

Direct Service

Funded By

SAMHSA, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT)

Grant No.

TI018921

Principal Investigator

Josephine Wilson, D.D.S., Ph.D.

Primary Contact

sardi@wright.edu

Partner Agencies

Publications and Presentations

  • "Reduction of substance use but not risky sexual behavior following a 75-minute HIV educational intervention: Six-month follow-up report." Wilson, J.F., Carr, C.J., Moore, D., Williams, C., & Ford, J.A. Presented at the National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta, GA, August 2011.
  • "Mt. Olive One-Stop Center: The role of the faith community in promoting HIV prevention." Williams, C., Carr, C. J., Richlen, W. & Wilson, J. F. Presented at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA), in Washington, DC, October 2011