A screening and brief intervention (SBI) effort targeting patients in hospital emergency rooms in San Diego County, Calif., produced discussions with 29,000 people in its first year, with about 1,740 agreeing to a referral to a treatment program, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported Aug. 6.

County officials appearing at a news conference said that about 7,250 people  -- or 25 percent -- identified themselves as at-risk for substance use disorders. (At-risk was defined for men as two of more drinks per day or four or more in one sitting; for women as one or more drinks per day or at least three on one occassion.) Of those identified as at-risk, 1,740 individuals agreed to be referred to treatment.

The county last year received $7.7 million under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) grants program, and reported on early results that it believes indicate that discussions with patients may be helping them avoid harmful substance use.

San Diego County's program encompasses 12 sites and 15 health educators who approach patients waiting for emergency services to ask them about alcohol and drug use. The effort is seen as attempting to reduce the staggering $44 billion in annual costs in California related to the health, legal and other impacts of harmful levels of substance use.

This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:

Correction, August 15, 2008: As originally published, this news summary stated the number of individuals referred to treatment as 70, based on erroneous information in the source article. The actual number of people referred through the program, per the County of San Diego's Health and Human Services Agency, was 1,740. (The "70" at-risk individuals mentioned in the article were a random sample of the total number of patients that agreed to be contacted six months later for a follow-up survey.)