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Breaking News
Danya Completes Groundbreaking Research on Best
Practices in
Drug Addiction Treatment Programs Globally
U.S. State Department-Sponsored Research Uncovers Promising Practices
Silver Spring, Maryland (March 10, 2006) – Danya International, Inc., a health communications and technology firm delivering breakthrough solutions for public health and education, today announced completion of a comprehensive research project to study the successes of substance abuse treatment programs in 10 countries. Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Danya studied the successful approaches used in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Europe.
“We dispatched a team of accomplished professionals in the fields of addiction and drug treatment to examine what other countries around the globe were accomplishing,” said Jeff Hoffman, Ph.D., Danya President and CEO. “The ultimate goal of this ambitious undertaking was to gather details on promising practices that would enhance success rates of treatment programs worldwide.”
Danya’s team traveled to the Latin American countries of Brazil, Peru, and Argentina; the Southeast Asian countries of Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand; and the European countries of Poland, Spain, Slovenia, and Italy. Among the promising practices that emerged from this research study and were recommended for replication include:
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Tailored activities addressing local needs
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Focus on including the family as a unit
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Recruitment and retention of motivated volunteers
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Structured treatment environment tailored to meet
cultural norms
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Inclusion of vocational training to facilitate successful
reintegration
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Use of religion to enhance treatment resident growth
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Establishment of a systematic program re-entry process
“Across the board, we found that the family played
a pivotal role in the treatment programs. In varying degrees, these
programs were structured around individuals’ cultural, religious,
and personal needs,” explained Susie Nemes, Ph.D., a consultant
to Danya, one of the lead investigators on this project, and President
and CEO of Social Solutions International, Inc. (SSI). “We encountered
some very innovative initiatives focused on preparing individuals
to re-enter society and the workforce at the conclusion of treatment.
And, we witnessed programs in every country that were run by very
committed staff and highly motivated volunteers. We took away something
from every program we studied that will serve as best practices for
enhancing addiction treatment efforts on a global scale,” said
Dr. Nemes.
The study’s findings were recently published in
the Journal of Teaching in the Addictions, (Volume 4, Number
1, 2005). In addition, details on Danya’s State Department project
are available at www.danya.com/promisingpractices.
About Danya International, Inc.
Danya's mission is to have a social impact through development and implementation of innovative communication, research, and technology programs. The company provides breakthrough solutions in the areas of public health communications, research and evaluation, information technology, education and training, program management support, and health product development. Danya is a member of the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA ). Danya is based in Silver Spring, Maryland, with offices in Atlanta, Georgia; Seattle, Washington; and Nairobi, Kenya. To learn more about the company, visit www.danya.com.
About Social Solutions International
Social Solutions International, Inc., is a woman and
minority-owned small business with an emphasis on quality research
and evaluation, development of evidence-based education materials,
and cultural adaptation and translation. An 8(a) research and evaluation
firm, Social Solutions is dedicated to the creation of social and
health solutions to improve the welfare of underserved populations
worldwide. To learn more about the services offered, visit www.socialsolutions.biz.
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