Comments System - Kansas Problem Gambling

Your input/feedback is needed for any/all of the six key areas below. Click on any of the titles to review and/or scroll down this page to review areas, key questions and to provide feedback. 1. Prevention 2. Research & Evaluation 3. Crisis Intervention and Helpline Service 4. Treatment Services 5. Workforce Development 6. Public Awareness & Marketing 1. Prevention Back to top Comprehensive problem gambling prevention includes: (a) primary prevention, i.e., services that seek to reduce the incidence of problem gambling, (b) secondary prevention, i.e., activities aimed at early detection, thereby increasing opportunities to prevent low-level problem gambling from progressing into pathological gambling, and (c) tertiary prevention, i.e., activities designed to identify and alleviate pathological gambling intensity or duration, in order to reduce gambling related harm. Strategic Planing Questions: 1. What programs/services need to be developed to accomplish these goals? 2. What are the prevention priorities today and how might they change over time? 3. With what organizations, systems and professional groups should we partner to accomplish goals? 2. Research & Evaluation Back to top Due to the technical nature of conducting research and program evaluation, this service component is complex yet priorities need to be set about what type of research to fund and along what timeline. Surveillance research may involve repeated prevalence studies of gambling behaviors or longitudinal studies to assess the incidence of problem gambling. Program evaluation may focus on service level processes and/or outcomes, system level processes and/or outcome or some combination. Strategic Planing Questions: 1. What kind of research should be done and for what purpose? 2. What outcomes would be important to measure for this population? 3. What are critical data needs for problem gambling research and system outcome and performance measurement? 3. Crisis Intervention and Helpline Service Back to top Crisis intervention refers to the activities employed to aid persons experiencing high levels of emotional distress related to a gambling problem. Crisis intervention objectives include de-escalating situations, preventing harm to self or others, referral and placement into appropriate level of care. Programs or systems designed to respond to emotional crisis may include help lines, mental health centers, casino based interventions, employee assistance programs, and others. Strategic Planing Questions: 1. How will we assure there are no "wrong" doors for problem gamblers or affected others seeking services? 2. What services should a helpline offer? 3. How can assessment and screening occur in the other community contact points problem gamblers and affected others may enter? 4. Treatment Services Back to top Treatment Services are professionally delivered interventions aimed at improving health, functioning, and quality of life for problem gamblers and their concerned others. Types of treatment services may include individual counseling, couples/family counseling, group counseling, financial management counseling, and/or medication management. Strategic Planing Questions: 1. What levels of care are essential for this population of problem gamblers? 2. How would you identify the targeted population? 3. What consideration should be made for financial needs, including co-pays? 4. What are the requirements for clinicians and facilities/agencies to provide problem gambling services? 5. What should the reimbursement structure look like? 5. Workforce Development Back to top Workforce development has emerged as a term to describe a relatively wide range of activities, policies, and programs. These may include (a) development of workshops and information for professional groups that come in contact with problem gamblers; (b) development and implementation of a training program for persons in the health and social services sector to proficiently provide prevention or treatment services to address problem gambling; (c) development of programs to encourage growth in the number of professionals specializing in the field of problem gambling research, treatment, or prevention. Strategic Planing Questions: 1. What are the training needs for existing prevention and treatment professionals? 2. Who should conduct the training? 3. What are the unique barriers to providing services in urban, rural and frontier areas? 4. How will these barriers be overcome? 5. How and what type of remote training might (e.g. video conferencing, internet based...) be used for access? 6. With what existing systems can we partner in the effort (e.g. Addiction Treatment Transfer Center (ATTC), community colleges)? 7. What are the roles of junior colleges and universities in Workforce Development? 6. Public Awareness & Marketing Back to top This section refers to the activities, policies, and programs designed to raise the consciousness of individuals, groups, or organization to any or all of the following: (a) the risks associated with gambling, (b) the availability of treatment, (c) signs and symptoms of a gambling problem, (d) responsible gambling guidelines, (e) gambling policies or laws, (f) consumer education, e.g., game odds, randomness, and (g) gambling helpline or other help and information resources. Strategic Planing Questions: 1. What might be some key focus points of public awareness? 2. What types of advertising, marketing and promotion might be especially effective? 3. What sub-populations should be targeted? 4. What would the role of marketing be in Workforce Development, Treatment Services, Crisis Intervention and Helpline and Prevention?