Drug testing of high school students is a serious issue, with schools reviewing and implementing a variety of plans. Deciding what best fits the objectives of the community and board of education, while maintaining the dignity and confidentiality of students is a daunting task. Our goal is to provide each client with the information and program options that will best serve the functional, operational and financial needs.
As you know, the major goal in any testing program is deterrence, while actively detecting areas of abuse. The long-term success of the program will be largely impacted by the approach to testing:
- What substances to test for
- Testing methods to be used
- Frequency of testing
- Responsiveness to changing parameters
- Administrative support
- Coordinated program implementation
NSADP offers the latest technology in testing for drugs, alcohol and steroids. Generally, we recommend to our school clients, the use of urine testing, covering the specific category of substances you are concerned about and commonly used by students. Urine testing has been proven to be the most reliable, cost effective, easy to administer and least intrusive method of detecting active, current substance abuse. Moreover, this type of test is the most effective at detecting marijuana use (marijuana still ranks as the most commonly abused drug among teens). Urine testing is also the method mandated by the Federal Government for their employees that are tested, as well as for workers that are governed by the regulations of the Department of Transportation. Additionally, if steroid testing is a component of the testing strategy, specimens are split from a single collection to accomplish this goal.
How each program is managed has as much impact on success as the reliability of the methods used. NSADP is a local third-party administrator (TPA) of substance abuse programs. As part of Clinical Collection Management, we’ve established, promoted and communicated the highest standards of quality, integrity and professionalism in the administration of substance abuse prevention programs, employing education, training and the exchange of ideas to more than 350 local and national clients for more than 13 years. Our experience with area schools includes programs in-place at St. Mary’s High School (456 students) and the Fort Zumwalt School District (over 18,000 students). Additionally we serve an advisory capacity to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (NCADA) and regularly provide private testing services for students that have been referred through school counselors, the NCADA and parents.
As the TPA for your program, NSADP will deliver total confidentiality, secure processing of samples, on-site capabilities, policy review, access to a Medical Review Officer, complete random administration, education and secure reporting options. In fact, our information security practices were a key factor in becoming the provider for the St. Charles County (Missouri) Drug Taskforce and all their agents.
All tests requiring lab confirmation are conducted by a facility certified by DHHS (Department Of Health and Human Services) certified Laboratory and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). At NSADP, our only business is substance abuse testing. Our central location in St. Louis allows us to be extremely responsive to the needs of our clients.
Contact Us, to learn more about implementing a drug testing program in your school.
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