SAMHSA: Upcoming Release of FAQs on 42 CFR Part 2

SAMHSA is pleased to announce the upcoming release of its second set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on 42 CFR Part 2. As you may be aware, SAMHSA released an initial set of FAQs on Confidentiality and Health Information Exchanges in August 2010. As part of an effort to ensure appropriate, effective, and efficient application of the regulations, SAMHSA has undergone a process of reviewing further questions submitted by the field subsequent to the release of the first set of FAQs. The release of this set of FAQs is a direct result of that review.

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Participate in the Public Stakeholder Meeting

December 19, 2011 | 9 to 11 a.m. EST | 1 Choke Cherry Road, Rockville, MD

As part of the effort to promote a clear understanding of the regulations in the current environment, you are cordially invited to a public stakeholder roll-out meeting to review the FAQs and provide responses to any remaining questions.

In Person: The meeting will be held on December 19, 2011, from 9 to 11 a.m. EST in SAMHSA's headquarters at 1 Choke Cherry Road in Rockville, Maryland.

By Phone: A call-in option has been provided. To use this option, dial 866-862-0213 and enter passcode 56335529.

If you wish to participate either in person or by phone, please RSVP to Deepa Avula at deepa.avula@samhsa.hhs.gov by December 5, 2011.

Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act

The US Department of Labor has a new web-based tool to help realize the hope for parity in coverage for addiction with other health conditions. To use the online question and complaint filing tool, go here and choose from the options under Request Assistance from a Benefits Advisor. You can also use the Parity Toolkit to advocate for your rights and benefits under the law.

Faces & Voices Community Listening Forum Toolkit

Faces & Voices of Recovery developed this Community Listening Forum Toolkit after hosting four Community Listening Forums in 2010 and 2011 with recovery advocates in Maryland, Florida, Oregon and Texas. You'll find everything you need to organize one in your community to raise awareness about important issues and develop support for taking action. Check it out here.

Nyswander Dole Award Winner, Ed Johnson

Please join us in congratulating Southeast ATTC South Carolina Program Manager, Ed Johnson, who has been selected as one of the 2012 recipients of the Nyswander-Dole Award by the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (AATOD). This is the first time that an individual from South Carolina has been chosen to receive this award. The award is named after Drs. Marie Nyswander and Vincent Dole, who pioneered the use of medication in the treatment of opioid dependence and is affectionately referred to as the “Marie Award.” The award, which is presented bi-annually, was first presented in 1983 to recognize extraordinary work and service in the opioid treatment field. Individuals are nominated by their state opioid treatment providers group and selected by the Awards Committee of the AATOD Board of Directors. A maximum of eight recipients are selected. The award will be presented at the Awards Banquet during the 2012 AATOD Conference “Recovery for Patients, Families and Communities” which will be held April 21-25, 2012 in Las Vegas Nevada.

Prior to joining the staff at Southeast ATTC, Ed was the Program Administrator for the Opioid Treatment Program at Charleston Center (Charleston County Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services) located in Charleston, South Carolina for the previous ten years and represented South Carolina on the AATOD Board of Directors. He worked with this population and with individuals with substance use disorders and HIV disease for over for over twenty years.

Training of Trainers: Provider’s Introduction to Substance Abuse Treatment for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Individuals

December 13-15, Charlotte, North Carolina

Location: TBA

The curriculum is intended to provide both practitioners and administrators involved in substance abuse treatment with: Increased familiarity with the issues and barriers faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in need of substance use disorder-related services; Knowledge about the interaction between LGBT issues and substance use and abuse; Enhanced ability to offer sensitive, affirmative, culturally relevant, and effective treatment to LGBT clients in substance use disorders treatment.

For more information and registration, contact:

email: southeast@ATTCnetwork.org

Tel: 404-752-1016

Journal Article: Opioid Addiction and Abuse in Primary Care Practice: A Comparison of Methadone and Buprenorphine as Treatment Options

Authored by Jean Bonhomme, MD, MPH; Ruth S. Shim, MD, MPH; Richard Gooden, MBA; Dawn Tyus, MS; George Rust, MD.

This article will be featured in the November issue of the Journal of the National Medical Association.

Opioid abuse and addiction have increased in frequency in the U.S. over the past twenty years. In 2009, an estimated 5.3 million persons used opioid medications non-medically within the past month, 200,000 used heroin, and approximately 9.6 percent of African Americans used an illicit drug. Racial and ethnic minorities experience disparities in availability and access to mental health care, including substance use disorders.

Primary care practitioners are often called upon to differentiate between appropriate, medically-indicated opioid use in pain management versus inappropriate abuse or addiction. Racial and ethnic minority populations tend to favor primary care treatment settings over specialty mental health settings. Recent therapeutic advances allow patients requiring specialized treatment for opioid abuse and addiction to be managed in primary care settings. The Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 enables qualified physicians with readily available short-term training to treat opioid-dependent patients with buprenorphine in an office-based setting, potentially making primary care physicians active partners in the diagnosis and treatment of opioid use disorders.

Methadone and buprenorphine are effective opioid replacement agents for maintenance and/or detoxification of opioid addicted individuals. However, restrictive federal regulations and stigmatization of opioid addiction and treatment have limited the availability of methadone. The opioid partial agonist-antagonist buprenorphine/naloxone combination has proven an effective alternative. This article reviews the literature on differences between buprenorphine and methadone regarding availability, efficacy, safety, side-effects, and dosing, identifying resources for enhancing the effectiveness of medication-assisted recovery through coordination with behavioral/psychological counseling, embedded in the context of recovery-oriented systems of care.

Raising Low 'Patient Activation' Rates Among Hispanic Immigrants May Equal Expanded Coverage in Reducing Access Disparities

Health Affairs, Vol. 30, No. 10, October 2011

Peter J. Cunningham, Judith H. Hibbard, Claire B. Gibbons

There is a growing consensus that activating consumers to become better managers of their health is an essential component of U.S. health care reform. The researchers measured how activated blacks, whites, and Hispanics are—that is, how confident, skillful, and knowledgeable they are about taking an active role in improving their health and health care. They found that patient activation among blacks and Hispanics was low, relative to that of whites. For example, 24.8 percent of Hispanics were at the highest level of patient activation, compared to 39.5 percent of blacks and 45.3 percent of whites. Among Hispanic immigrants, low acculturation and lack of familiarity with the U.S. health care system contribute to low activation. The findings indicate that increasing activation levels among Hispanic immigrants may be as important as expanding insurance coverage in reducing disparities in unmet medical need.

Access to this article is available at the Health Affairs Web site.

The New Frontier: The Use of Medication in the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders

October 11, Columbia, SC

This training is designed to provide addiction and healthcare professionals with factual, evidence-based information on the various medications currently in use and being investigated for the treatment of substance use disorders. Due to the dramatic increase in the misuse of pain medications, particular emphasis will be given to the various medications used in the treatment of opioid dependence.

Sponsored by DAODAS, Southeast Addiction Technology Transfer Center, and Southern Consortium Node of the Clinical Trials Network (CTN) of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

Registration deadline is October 7.

New Webinar: Managing Opioid Abuse and Addiction in Primary Care Settings

On September 13, 2011, from 1:00pm - 2:00pm SATTC and the National Center for Primary Care Behavioral Health team will be hosting a webinar entitled "Managing Opioid Abuse and Addiction in Primary Care Settings."

Webinar Description:

Opiod addiction and abuse are exceedingly prevalent but highly misunderstood health problems that the primary care practitioner is frequently called upon to diagnose and address. The primary care practitioner is often in the position of prescribing opioid medication, and must be justifiably concered as to whether such medications will be used properly. Substance abuse, dependence and addiction are viewed in the field of addiction medicine as three separate and distinct entities, and understanding the differences between them is essential to addressing these disorders appropriately. New science has revealed that real and demonstrable changes in brain structure and function occur in addiction, placing this disorder decisively in the medical disease model and thereby opening new doors for medical treatment. Effective treatment methodologies are avaiable to the primary care practitioner as well as the option to refer for specialty care. The aim of this presentation is to help integrate treatment for opioid use disorders into primary care settings, to give the primary care practitioner new concepts for recognizing the misuse of opioid medications, and to promote greater understanding about the benefits and limitations of opioid treatment.

Presenter: Jean J. E. Bonhomme, M.D., M.P.H.
Download: Presenter Bio

For more information or to register, please call 404-752-1016 or email dtyus@msm.edu

New Product from the SATTC!

Life Beyond Treatment:
Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care
with William White and Ijeoma Achara
DVD Box Set

In the summer of 2009 the Southeast Addiction Technology Transfer Center and the Great Lakes Addiction Technology Transfer Center convened a two-day Recovery Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC) workshop in Atlanta, Georgia, featuring nationally-recognized speakers William White and Ijeoma Achara. The goals of this event aimed to highlight the emergence of recovery as an organizing paradigm for the addiction treatment field and to outline how frontline service practices change as systems of care & local addiction treatment programs shift from an acute care (AC) model of intervention to a model of sustained recovery management (RM). The workshop also aimed to identify the characteristics of a ROSC, explore the implications of ROSC for multiple levels of the treatment system, and to explain the advantages and limitations associated with different models of ROSC.

Each workshop session on this DVD has been broken down into smaller segments, or chapters, to facilitate usage of these materials for workshops and presentations, and to make it easier and faster to find specific areas of content related to ROSC. We also included a whole new section entitled “Supplemental Resources” that contains the latest ROSC research and resources including monographs, reports, and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) “Definition of Recovery” and “ROSC Definition and Values” handouts. We hope that these materials will assist you in the effort to achieve system implementation of the core ROSC principles.

Dawn Tyus
Southeast ATTC

Lonnetta Albright
Great Lakes ATTC

For ordering information, call: 404.752.1016

An Interactive Conference Call Discussing the Benefits and Provisions of the Affordable Care Act

You’re invited to:

AFFORDABLE CARE ACT 101

An Interactive Conference Call Discussing the Benefits and Provisions of the Affordable Care Act

http://www.hhs.gov/partnerships/resources/aca_101-invite.html

Hosted By the HHS Center for Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships

Tuesday, August 23, at 8 pm ET

Wednesday, August 31, at 12:30 pm ET

Wednesday, September 14, at 12:30 pm ET

To attend, please RSVP to partnerships@hhs.gov

PowerPoint slides can be found by clicking here.

Did you know...?

* young adults can stay on their parent’s health insurance until the age of 26, even if they don’t live at home or are married?

* there is now a plan for people with pre-existing conditions to access health insurance called the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan?

* 8 million children who are currently uninsured are eligible to receive care through the Children’s Health Insurance Program known as CHIP?

There are millions of people who lack access to health care, essential for healthy children, families and communities, throughout the United States. Many families don’t know what their options are to access better care.

YOU CAN LEARN MORE about many provisions that are currently in place that could help you and those in your congregation or community.

The Affordable Care Act expands access to care, ends abuses of insurers, and makes health care more affordable. The law helps those with pre-existing health conditions, people who are under age 26 and without health insurance, the most vulnerable in our society and those who are currently insured. To learn more about the health care law and how to access health care benefits in your community, RSVP to attend our Affordable Care Act 101 Conference Call.

Effective Strategies for Working with Justice-Involved Veterans with Behavioral Health Needs

Join Us on September 1, 2011 (2:00-3:15 pm EDT)

Please view the webinar in groups, register early, and join the webinar 15 minutes prior to the start time.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE WEBINAR

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/725863017

Overview

There are an estimated 23.4 million veterans in the United States and 2.2 million military service members. More than two million U.S. troops have been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq since September 11, 2001. Many service members returning from deployment are suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, traumatic brain injury, and substance use disorders and may come into contact with justice system. This webinar will examine strategies for the identification, engagement, and community-based treatment of veterans with behavioral health needs who have come in contact with the criminal justice system.

Presenters

Larke N. Huang, Ph.D., a licensed clinical-community psychologist, is a Senior Advisor in the Administrator's Office of Policy Planning and Innovation at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In this position she provides leadership on national policy for mental health and substance use issues for children, adolescents and families and leads the Administrator's strategic initiative on Trauma and Justice. She is also the Director of SAMHSA's Office of Behavioral Health Equity which was legislated by the Affordable Care Act.

David Morrissette, Ph.D., is a Social Science Analyst at SAMHSA and Captain in the U.S. Public Health Service. As a licensed clinical social worker, he leads Mental Health Team 1 made up of, Public Health Service officers on call to provide behavioral health care to individuals and communities recovering from disasters. He manages grant programs at SAMHSA that fund the diversion of persons with behavioral health conditions to community treatment at arrest, booking or court appearances, including the Jail Diversion and Trauma Recovery - Priority to Veterans initiative.

Henry J. Steadman, Ph.D., has been President of Policy Research Associates, Inc., since he founded it in 1987. Previously, Dr. Steadman ran a nationally known research bureau for 17 years for the New York State Office of Mental Health. He is the author of eight books, over 130 journal articles, 20 chapters, and numerous reports. Dr. Steadman is the Director of the SAMHSA National GAINS Center and Principal Investigator of a juvenile mental health court study funded by the National Institute of Justice.

Jim Tackett, B.A., is the Director of Veterans Services with the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, where he is responsible for the Military Support Program, the National Guard Embedded Clinician Program, the Jail Diversion and Trauma Recovery Services for Veterans Program, and the Veterans Resource Representative Training Program. He is also an advisor to the Department of Public Safety, Division of State Police Peer Support program -- State Troopers Offering Peer Support.

Nicholas Meyer, B.A., is a Project Assistant at Policy Research Associates, Inc., working on SAMHSA's support of behavioral health systems serving service members, veterans, and their families. He is a former Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps with three tours of duty to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

NACoA’s Celebrating Families!™ program

NACoA’s evidence-based Celebrating Families!™ early family recovery program has grown substantially, now offering more varied trainings for treatment and recovery support organizations, as well as juvenile justice and drug court programs that wish to embrace recovery for the whole family.

In recognition of the growing Hispanic populations whose families can also benefit from such a family recovery support program, NACoA will later this year be introducing its Spanish version of the curriculum, which is in its final editing process following multi-site testing.

Training events will be expanded to include both the traditional two-day Program Implementation training for supervisors and facilitators and, later this fall, a Trainer-of-Trainers event, the first of which will be held both in California and at the NACoA national headquarters in Kensington, MD (located in Greater Washington DC).

NACoA’s mission is to eliminate the adverse impact of alcohol and drug use on children and families. NACoA’s Celebrating Families!™ program is a major tool in reaching its goal of helping struggling families recover from addiction’s impact on each member of the family.

More information about this NREPP-listed effective program is available through the NACoA website http://www.nacoa.org and the designated program site http://www.celebratingfamilies.net.

Integration of Behavioral Health and Primary Care in the Patient Centered Medical Home

In our commitment to provide health care professionals with cutting edge evidence-based material designed to enhance your professional experience, the National Center for Primary Care at Morehouse School of Medicine is hosting the 11^th Annual Primary Care and Prevention Conference entitled “Integration of Behavioral Health and Primary Care in the Patient Centered Medical Home” at the Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway on September 22-23.

This conference will convene some of the leading authorities in the integration of behavioral health and primary care with a special focus on the patient centered medical home. These presenters will include:

Linda Rosenberg, MSW—President and CEO, National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare

Marion Burton, MD—President, American Academy of Pediatricians

David C. Kibbe, MD MBA, Senior Advisor, American Academy of Family Physicians; Chair, ASTM International; E31Technical Committee and Principal, The Kibbe Group LLC on Healthcare Informatics.

For further information about the conference or to register please visit www.primarycarematters.org

New approach launched to reduce tribal alcohol and substance abuse problems

A new federal framework to assist American Indian and Alaska Native communities in achieving their goals in the prevention, intervention, and treatment of alcohol and substance abuse was announced today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Department of Interior (DOI) Secretary Ken Salazar, and Attorney General of the United States Eric Holder.

The framework, captured in a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signed by Secretary Sebelius, Secretary Salazar, and Attorney General Holder was published in the Federal Register today - http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-08-05/pdf/2011-19816.pdf. It was called for in the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010, which President Obama signed into law in July 2010.

The MOA describes how the Office of Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse established in HHS’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) http://www.samhsa.gov/tloa will coordinate tribal substance abuse programs across the federal government with a special emphasis on promoting programs geared toward reaching youth and offering alternatives to incarceration.

“Alcoholism and addiction are among the most severe public health and safety problems facing American Indian and Alaska Native people,” said HHS Secretary Sebelius. “It doesn’t have to be this way. With help that is based in the rich Indian culture these conditions just like other heath conditions can be successfully prevented and treated.”

“There is a clear need to align, leverage, and coordinate federal resources so that we can best support tribal efforts to build healthy and safe communities,” said Secretary Salazar. “This new office will serve as the federal focal point for this critically important work.”

“A truly holistic approach is necessary when addressing substance abuse in Indian Country because we know that where alcohol and substance abuse are prevalent, public safety concerns are similarly prevalent,” said Attorney General Holder. “This new office will help further the commitment of the Justice Department and our partner agencies to build and sustain safe, secure, and healthy tribal communities.”

An interdepartmental coordinating council will guide the overall direction of the new federal effort to improve its work with tribal communities beginning with determining the scope of the problem -- identifying and assessing national, state, tribal, and local alcohol and substance abuse programs and resources; and creating standards for programs.

SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde, J.D., said, “The collaboration among agencies and departments that got us to this announcement today is already paying off. Our work with tribal communities has resulted in a new $50 million budget proposal in 2012 for Tribal Prevention Grants, better understanding of law enforcement and judicial training needs, and serious new work and investments in suicide prevention in Indian country.”

Save the Date!

11th Annual Primary Care and Prevention Conference

"Integration of Behavioral Health and Primary Care in the Patient Centered Medical Home"

September 22-23, 2011

Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway Hotel

Primary Care For All Webinar: Strategies for Treating Alcohol Use Disorder

Primary Care For All invites you to participate in this webinar which will review various options for treating alcohol use disorders, including integrating medication options into a comprehensive strategy for alcohol treatment. Information will be presented on treatment of alcohol abuse and dependence from a recovery-oriented system of care perspective. Webinar participants will engage in question/answer sessions and discussion throughout the session.

Host: Primary Care For All / Southeast ATTC
When: Tuesday April 26, 2011 | 12:00 pm Eastern

To register for this event, please visit:
http://primarycareforall.na5.acrobat.com/bhpc/event/registration.html

SAMHSA’s 10x10 Campaign

NOW AVAILABLE: FREE 10x10 Wellness Campaign Brochures and Posters

The 10x10 Wellness Campaign launched its free brochures and posters for clinicians, community organizations, consumers/survivors and peers who want to take action to improve the life expectancy of people with behavioral health challenges by 10 years in the next 10 years.

The new resources include:

1. Top Three Ways to Promote Wellness poster (SMA10-4569)
2. Eight Dimensions of Wellness poster (SMA10-4568)
3. Informational brochure for primary care providers that provides strategies for talking about wellness and connecting with patients’ behavioral health care providers (SMA10-4566)
4. Motivational brochure for consumers/survivors/peers that describes how to incorporate the Eight Dimensions of Wellness into everyday life (SMA10-4567)
5. Informational brochure to raise awareness about the disparity in early mortality for people with behavioral health problems and gain “champions” for the 10x10 Wellness Campaign (SMA10-4565)

These consumer-centered tools establish a shared language for talking about how wellness can support recovery for individuals with behavioral health challenges.

To order or download these free materials, visit http://store.samhsa.gov/product/SMA10-4566 or call toll free 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (877-726-4727). To learn about the other resources available through the 10x10 Wellness Campaign, SAMHSA and the FDA’s Office of Women’s Health, visit: http://www.promoteacceptance.samhsa.gov/10by10/resources.aspx and www.fda.gov/womens

Grant Announcement from SAMHSA

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services, is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2011 for Grants to Enhance Older Adult Behavioral Health Services. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to expand existing Older Adult Targeted Capacity Expansion (TCE) programs to include a focus on the prevention of suicide and prescription drug misuse and abuse among the older adult population. For the purpose of this program, the target population is defined as persons 60 years and older who are at risk for or are experiencing behavioral health problems. SAMHSA is collaborating with the U.S. Administration on Aging on this initiative.

http://www.samhsa.gov/grants/2011/sm_11_009.aspx

SAMHSA News Release

SAMHSA introduces guidance changing its block grant programs to reflect new opportunities provided by parity, health reform and emerging science

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced a new approach for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SABG) and the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant (MHBG) in the Federal Register today.

“Changes in healthcare delivery structures, rapid adoption of health information technology, scientific advances in prevention and treatment services, growing understanding of recovery, and implementation of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act and the Affordable Care Act will greatly enhance access to prevention, treatment and recovery support services nationwide,” said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde,. J. D. “These changes also present opportunities to establish the role of the block grants as critical underpinnings of the public substance abuse and mental health service systems, drivers of quality and innovation, and essential resources for transforming health care in America, especially in difficult economic times.”

Under this new approach states and territories will have the opportunity to use block grant dollars for prevention, treatment, recovery supports and other services that supplement services covered by Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance. The Block Grant funds will be directed to four purposes:

Fund priority treatment and support services for individuals without insurance or for whom coverage is terminated for short periods of time.

• Fund those priority treatment and support services not covered by Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance for low income individuals and that demonstrate success in improving outcomes and/or supporting recovery.
• Fund primary prevention – universal, selective and indicated prevention activities and services for persons not yet identified as needing treatment.
• Collect performance and outcome data to determine the ongoing effectiveness of behavioral health promotion, treatment and recovery support services and plan the implementation of new services on a nationwide basis.

SAMHSA will be working with states and territories to consider new factors in their redesigned plans such as:

• Taking a broader approach in reaching beyond the populations they have historically served through block grants.
• Conducting a needs assessment and developing a plan that will identify and analyze the strengths, needs and priorities of the state/territory’s behavioral health system – painting a more complete picture of their behavioral system.
• Designing and developing collaborative plans for health information systems—grants and other funding.
• Forming strategic partnerships to provide individuals better access to good and modern behavioral health services.
• Increasing focus on recovery for person experiencing mental health problems and substance use problems.
• Redesigning systems and services to be more accountable for improving the caliber and performance of services funded.
• Describing tribal consultation activities.

Currently the two SAMHSA block grant programs have been administered somewhat differently by separate SAMHSA centers, and states have had idiosyncratic structures and timing for accepting, planning and accounting for these grants. In an effort to streamline application and funding procedures, SAMHSA is now issuing guidance promoting consistent application, assurance and reporting dates across both block grants and offering states and territories the option to submit one coordinated plan for both grants.

For detailed information about proposed changes to the block grant programs, including their application policies, one can go to http://samhsa.gov/grants/blockgrant/ or to the Federal register notice at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-04-11/pdf/2011-8520.pdf

New Suicide Prevention Training Video for Substance Abuse Treatment Providers (From SAMHSA)

Suicide is the leading cause of death among people who abuse alcohol and drugs, making suicide risk a problem that every frontline substance abuse counselor must be able to address. In collaboration with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA), the U.S.

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has developed a training video as a companion piece for SAMHSA’s TIP 50:

Addressing Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in Substance Abuse Treatment. To view the DVD click on the following
link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1n2QZlheuzc

A moderator and three panel members discuss ways to manage and address suicidal thoughts and behaviors among individuals with substance abuse issues. Actors portray case scenarios that the panelists discuss. Although the video is designed for VA settings, the content is applicable to all settings.

This 75-minute video depicts and explains appropriate counseling methods, administrative support, and clinical supervision for substance abuse providers treating clients with suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Special attention is given to risk factors, warning signs, and follow-up care.

The counseling sessions portrayed in the video employ the specific counseling techniques and the four-step process recommended by TIP 50. SAMHSA recommends that the video be used in conjunction with TIP 50. You can request a copy of the TIP through http://store.samhsa.gov/product/SMA09-4381.

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) website, http://www.sprc.org/, supported by SAMHSA, features resources, news, and research articles related to preventing suicide and treating persons with suicidal behaviors. A September 2010 Webinar on TIP 50 can be accessed at:
http://www.sprc.org/traininginstitute/disc_series/disc_22.asp

MAHEC Annual Conference: May 10-13, 2011 North Carolina

Registration Opens February 2011

• Celebrating Partnerships for Recovery
• Held at the beautiful Kanuga Conference and Center in Hendersonville, NC near Asheville, NC and Greenville, SC
• 26 credit hours, lodging and meals for under $135 a day
• Designed for substance abuse, mental health, criminal justice, human services, healthcare and other professionals interested in supporting women and families in recovery from co-occurring disorders
• One day pre-conference option available
• Featuring National Speakers Stephanie Covington, PhD and Lisa Najavits, PhD
• Find scholarship opportunities, conference updates and the 1st Ever Family Recovery Event information online.
• Join us on FB for discussion from presenters and on conference highlights.

More information is available on the web at:
http://www.kanuga.org/
http://www.downtownhendersonville.org/

33rd Annual SALIS Conference

2011 SALIS Conference Abstracts

(presentations, posters, and panels)

Deadline Extended to February 28th!

Mark your calendars for the 33rd Annual SALIS Conference in Kansas City,
hosted by Laurie Krom, Director of the Addiction Technology Transfer Centers (ATTC)
National Office, featuring presentations by SALIS members and invited speakers.
The conference hotel will be the Hilton President-Kansas City.

Innovation
on the ATOD Frontier:
Now's the Time

Please visit the 2011 SALIS Conference website for more information including,
call for abstracts, registration, scholarships, exhibits and sponsors, hotel and travel.

New Spanish Version!

Spanish Version: Alcohol and Other Drug Problems Among Addiction Professionals

In September, 2006 and March, 2007, 30 leaders in the addiction field gathered in Greenville, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia (respectively) to discuss this critical topic. This is the Spanish language version of this product. Released 02/01/2011.

Access this Product!

Upcoming Webinar

Strategies for Recovery from Nicotine Dependence in Substance Abuse and Primary Care Settings

Tuesday, January 25, 2011
12:00 PM EST
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FREE

About the Webinar
This webinar will discuss various options for treating nicotine dependence, including integrating medication options into a comprehensive strategy for smoking cessation. Information will be presented on smoking cessation from a recovery-oriented systems of care perspective, as well as the various methods available for maintaining effective smoking cessation. Webinar participants will engage in question/answer sessions and discussion throughout the session.

About the Presenter
Jonathan Foulds, PhD. is a Professor of Public Health Sciences at Penn State University, College of Medicine. After obtaining a first class honors degree in psychology at University of Aberdeen in Scotland, he trained as a clinical psychologist at the University of Glasgow, and then spent most of his career developing and evaluating methods to help smokers beat their addiction to tobacco. He obtained his PhD at the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London and worked at St George’s Hospital Medical School as the UK’s first “lecturer in tobacco addiction”. He then moved to the University of Surrey and continued to work as a principal clinical psychologist at Broodmoor Hospital, a large maximum security facility for mentally disordered offenders. He was on the Management Group of the Hungarian Anti-Smoking Campaign (1995-6), has been a technical leader of a World Health Organization project to improve the regulation of tobacco dependence treatment in Europe (2000), and was Director of Research for the UK charity, Quit, which ran the largest telephone helpline for smokers in the world at that time. He was a founding member and Vice President of the Association for the Treatment of Tobacco Use and Dependence (ATTUD) 2004-6. In the USA he has been a principal investigator on grants totaling well over $7 million, and has been invited to speak on smoking cessation in over 15 countries. He has published over 80 papers on tobacco in peer-reviewed scientific journals and continues to treat addicted smokers, teach on smoking cessation and conduct research on tobacco and health at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, PA.