The FASD Center for Excellence: Expanding the Health Communications Model

Background:  In 2001, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) established the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Center for Excellence to address the spectrum of disorders caused by a woman's use of alcohol during pregnancy, which is the leading known cause of mental retardation and birth defects in the U.S. and Canada.

Program background:  The FASD Center for Excellence meets its objectives through a unique, five-tiered approach to communications planning and management:

1. Public health informatics, including the development of an official Web site that acts as a primary resource on the issue of FASD, a Call Center to respond to training requests and other public inquiries, print and multimedia products for audiences ranging from consumers and educators to caregivers and policymakers, and an ongoing survey of the literature in the field in order to identify gaps and trends, synthesize findings, and guide materials development.
2. Capacity building through subcontracts with programs and agencies across the country that are formalizing and implementing promising interventions and treatment practices.
3. Training and technical assistance designed to manage and transfer knowledge in order to increase care capacity among individuals, programs, agencies, systems and States.
4. Partnerships with states, local communities, Federal agencies, and other organizations in order to provide support for program development and capacity building.
5. Building infrastructure and collaboration by convening national meetings and summits on FASD, and also establishing and supporting grassroots organizations devoted to improving services for those affected by FASD.

Evaluation Methods and Results:  The Center is evaluated on an annual basis, resulting in positive/negative assessment and a determination of award fee from the funding agency (the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention [CSAP], a division of SAMHSA). The Center has received highest marks and full award fees for each of the three completed years during the current five-year contract. In addition, Center data will also be provided relating to media usage (e.g., web hits, product downloads, Call Center usage), training events (e.g., number of events and participants per year), and program-level successes (e.g., number of clients screened, diagnosed, and—where applicable—diverted to treatment).

Conclusions:  This presentation will provide an overview of the structure of the FASD Center for Excellence; both the advantages and the challenges of implementing a comprehensive health communications model that generates a global message while also ensuring adoption at the community level.

Implications for research and/or practice:  Participants will learn how the FASD Center for Excellence can serve as a potential model for other health communication programs seeking to broaden message reception and adoption.