Research Proposal for Developing Best Practices for Promoting Timely Follow Up Care for Patients in Non-rural Settings Discharged from Inpatient Psychiatric Care with Comorbid Chemical Dependency

2 AUTHOR'S STATEMENT In presenting this Capstone as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree from Georgia State University, I agree that the Library of the University shall make it available for inspection and circulation in accordance with its regulations governing materials of this type. I agree that permission to quote from, to copy from, or to publish this capstone may be granted by the author or, in his absence, by the professor under whose direction it was written, or in his absence, by the Dean, School of Public Health. Such quoting, copying, or publishing must be solely for scholarly purposes and will not involve potential financial gain. It is understood that any copying from or publication of this capstone which involves potential financial gain will not be allowed without written permission of the author Ryan Brody 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank the faculty of Georgia State University for their excellent guidance, especially the members of my committee: Dr. Douglas Roblin and Dr. Ashli Owen-Smith. I am also deeply grateful for the love and support of my wife and family as they have been exceptionally supportive.