Researching Barriers to Drug Abuse Treatment

Enhancing the Transition to Treatment: An Evaluation of the Phoenix House
First Step Detoxification Program
This self-funded project, in collaboration with Columbia University’s Psychiatric Institute, is evaluating the First Step program of Phoenix House. The nation’s first in-house detoxification program of its kind, First Step brings heroin and other narcotic addicts into treatment while they receive the newly FDA-approved drug buprenorphine to relieve symptoms of withdrawal. The project is recording client characteristics and the medical detoxification regimen for initial participants, describing program content, and noting issues that arise during implementation. In addition, it is examining the transition to long-term treatment and comparing retention of First Step clients with retention of clients who took part in detoxification prior to admission to Phoenix House.