MIT Medical and the Office of Community Development and Substance Abuse partnered to create an on-campus drug testing program for students in recovery at risk of relapse. The pilot program launched in February 2017 and was a success, with students maintaining sobriety and reporting positive experiences. Given this success, MIT Medical will continue conducting additional drug tests as needed upon CDSA's request.

1. MIT Medical and MIT’s Office of Community Development and
Substance Abuse (CDSA) partnered to create an on-campus
drug testing program for at-risk students trying to stay clean
and sober. The program launched in February 2017 and has
been a success. The students enrolled in the pilot program
maintained their sobriety and reported positive experiences,
and the program will continue as needed.
Abstract
Before February 2017, the Committee on Discipline, working in
partnership with CDSA and MIT Medical’s Mental Health and
Counseling Service required some recovering students who were
deemed at high risk of relapsing to participate in a drug-testing
programaspartofamorecomprehensivesanctionandintervention
to support students struggling to stay clean and sober.
Background
MIT’s On-Campus Student Drug Testing Program
Createanon-campusstudentdrugtestingprogramthatwouldbe
in place for students at the beginning of the 2017 spring semester.
Goal
• Both students involved in the process maintained sobriety and
their student status.
• Both students reported positive reengagement with MIT during
the semester.
• All departments involved agreed that the process was easy to
use and track.
• The students’ overall rating was positive. One of the students
did report that they felt the lab’s adherence to procedures was
too strict, but understood the need to “follow the rules.”
• 32 specimens were collected for testing.
• There was one positive result that was determined to be a false
positive.
• One specimen was questioned when the donor name was
illegible.
Results
Given the success of the pilot program, MIT Medical will continue to
conduct additional specimen collections at the request of CDSA.
Next steps
Students were referred to the Addiction Treatment Center of New England
(ATCNE) in Brighton, the only facility in the area that could conduct the type
of drug testing needed. However, ATCNE was far from campus and would not
bill MIT for the services it provided. That meant students needed to pay up
front, out of pocket ($55 per test) and wait for MIT to reimburse them. Both
distance and payment issues created significant barriers for participating
students and made an already stressful process even more difficult.
Timeline
Senior Associate Dean for Residential
Education Judith McGuire Robinson
contacted MIT Medical Director Cecilia
Stuopis to discuss the possibility of
conducting drug testing at MIT Medical.
JULY 2016
• Medical directors, chiefs, and laboratory staff met to discuss
regulatory implications, feasibility, and workflow.
• Program was reviewed by MIT’s Office of the General Council.
• MIT Medical assessed laboratory needs and workflow.
• MIT Medical created a workflow created that would allow the facility
to maintain student confidentiality while sending results to CDSA.
• MIT Medical created follow-up workflows that could determine
whether a positive result was accurate or a false positive.
SEPTEMBER 2016
• MIT Medical began training additional
staff for specimen collection. Trainings
included an online course and in-person
or webcam instruction.
• MIT Medical finalized requisition, consent
form, and protocols.
DECEMBER 2016
Pilot program concluded.
JUNE 2017
MIT Medical recruited male volunteers to
increase male personnel needed to observe
specimen collection for male students.
(Note: There was an adequate number of
female observers due to the makeup of the
laboratory staff.)
JANUARY 2017
• MIT Medical conducted mock collections
on 2/1/17 and 2/2/17.
• The program went live on 2/10/17.
FEBRUARY 2017