In 2021 the state of Montana put together a program to expand the state’s capacity for and access to treatment for stimulant use disorders (stimUD). This program, known as The Treatment of Users of Stimulants or TRUST program, provides expanded access to treatment and support services based on a significant need for the population of individuals with stimUD. The program is supported by State Opioid Response (SOR) grant funding and administered by the Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Division (BHDD) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) reported that in 2019, more than 12,000 Montanans over the age of twelve used the drug at least once (source: KTVH).
JG research and evaluation was contracted to do an evaluation of the TRUST program after it was piloted across a few of the SOR funded sites in 2021 and published this study: Expanding access to treatment for stimulant use disorder in a frontier state: A qualitative study of contingency management and TRUST program implementation in Montana. The study was focused on Montana as a rural leader state for piloting a contingency management (CM) plan to encourage people with stimUD to stay off stimulants.
The contingency management plan included monetary incentives for negative urine samples and the value of the incentive increased with each time a negative test came back. Clients who participated in the TRUST program became part of this 12-week intensive intervention followed by up to nine months of supporting services such as physical activity, group therapy, and individual therapy. GPRA (Government Performance Results Modernization Act of 2010) forms are used to track each individual’s journey through the program. Montana’s demonstration of using CM for individuals with stimUD through the TRUST program will serve as an example to the country.