UW-CTRI, DHS integrate Bucket Approach into re-entry programs

Since 2021, UW-CTRI has partnered with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) Forensic Mental Health Section to integrate tobacco screening and referrals to treatment into statewide reentry program services for people with behavioral health conditions who are reentering their communities after incarceration.

Early in the partnership, reentry programs expressed interest in UW‑CTRI’s Bucket Approach training because it offers a practical way to tailor tobacco treatment based on an individual’s readiness to change—an important approach for people with severe mental illness who often experience greater barriers to quitting.

UW-CTRI outreach specialists have been working with the reentry programs to integrate tobacco use screening and the Bucket Approach assessments into their paper forms and workflow.

In 2025, reentry programs transitioned from paper forms to Cerner electronic health record system. UW-CTRI Outreach Specialist Allison Gorrilla worked with a Cerner “super user” in one of the reentry programs to help transition the Bucket Approach intervention into their EHR. Allie developed recorded trainings of how to complete the screening processes in their EHR.

“We’re grateful for our partnership with DHS and their continued commitment to helping people with their tobacco use,” Gorrilla said. “It’s exciting to see the Bucket Approach be integrated into an EHR.”

Gorrilla manages the Wisconsin Nicotine Treatment Integration Project (WiNTiP), which works to help people with behavioral health issues to quit smoking.

Gorrilla plans to meet with reentry programs this year to understand opportunities to improve the EHR integration of tobacco screening and support.