SAMHSA: Source for Behavioral Health Resources

Your Source for Behavioral Health Resources New Publications Ordering Website — store.samhsa.gov SAMHSA has a new Publications Store where you can order free behavioral health resources, including manuals, brochures, videos, and public service announcements. Registering on the website will allow you to: Track previous and current orders. Save your shipping address. Create "favorites" or a "wish list." Receive a notification when a product is back in stock. Start ordering free publications today. Find products like these popular titles: Considerations for the Provision of E-Therapy Examines electronically delivered services (e-therapy) and their potential efficacy for treatment of substance abuse and mental illness. Partnership To Prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Public Education Program Manual Provides strategies to plan fetal alcohol spectrum disorders' prevention programs, involve providers, disseminate materials, and conduct follow-up evaluations. Sustaining Grassroots Community-Based Programs: A Toolkit for Community- and Faith-Based Service Providers Contains six books to help grassroots organizations and faith-based organizations develop substance abuse and mental health treatment services. Screening and Assessment for Family Engagement, Retention, and Recovery Offers screening tools and principles to help child welfare staff screen parents for potential substance abuse and make decisions about children's safety.

Two Mental Health Publications Available from SAMHSA

Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services in Medicaid, 2003

In 2003, Medicaid provided health care coverage for 55 million people, nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population, and was a major source of funding for mental health and substance abuse services. By 2014, Medicaid is projected to pay for 27 percent of the costs for all mental health services and 20 percent of the costs for all substance abuse treatment. Because of their complex needs and high expenditure levels, Medicaid beneficiaries who use these services continue to be the subject of much discussion among policymakers and program administrators at the state and Federal levels.

This report can help inform these policy discussions because it is designed for representatives of consumer groups, Medicaid directors, state mental health directors, and anyone who is concerned about mental health and substance abuse services for vulnerable citizens.

Related Resources

State Profiles of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services in Medicaid

Establishing and Maintaining Medicaid Eligibility Upon Release From Public Institutions

State Mandates for Treatment for Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders

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Mental Health, United States, 2008 This new, redesigned edition provides information on the mental health status of the U.S. population, the providers and settings for mental health services, the types of mental health services and rates of utilization, and expenditures and sources of funding for mental health services.

It is a resource for state officials and policymakers, mental health researchers, advocacy organizations, mental health consumers and family members, and anyone with an interest in learning about the mental health services in the United States and the populations served by the U.S. mental health system.

Related Resources

Projections of National Expenditures for Mental Health Services and Substance Abuse Treatment, 2004–2014

Mental Health Findings: Results From the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)

Mental Health, United States, 2004

Survey of Evidence-Based Practices for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders in State Medicaid Plans

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is conducting a survey  to gather information about current and planned State Medicaid activities and policies related to eight mental health/substance abuse evidence-based practices (EBPs). This survey is part of a five-year project to increase attention to and understanding of Medicaid mental health and substance abuse service issues among State Medicaid and Mental Health/Substance Abuse Directors, as well as improve the effectiveness of State Medicaid mental health services.

The purpose of the survey is to determine the overall management and delivery of mental health and  substance abuse services within Medicaid and the use of eight specific evidence-based practices. The information provided through the survey will be vital to increasing awareness and understanding of Medicaid mental health/substance abuse evidence-based practice activities. This information will also be used to develop numerous products to help State Medicaid and Mental Health/Substance Abuse Directors adopt,  deliver, and refine existing policies about mental health and substance abuse EBPs.

A survey will be sent to the director of each State Medicaid office in the 50 States and the District of Columbia, with responses expected over a four-week period. The survey contains a total of 114 questions on the overall management and delivery of mental health and substance abuse services within Medicaid and on the implementation of eight EBPs within the state Medicaid program. However, respondents will complete part or all of the survey, depending on how many of the eight EBPs are being implemented in their state. The survey will be sent electronically to State Medicaid Directors, and they may respond by email or facsimile. To reduce burden, prior to administering the survey several survey questions will be pre-completed based on existing information, as available.
Full Request for Comment Federal Register Notice

Moving Mental Health into the Disaster-Preparedness Spotlight — NEJM

by Katherine Yun, M.D., Nicole Lurie, M.D., M.S.P.H. and Pamela S. Hyde, J.D

Lessons from previous incidents suggest that preparation for and response to communities' mental and psychosocial needs after a disaster require awareness of the expected behavioral health effects, understanding of the population at risk, knowledge of existing community support services, and channels for coordinating expertise among nonprofit, academic, clinical, and government institutions at the local, state, and national levels. Given the current profound environmental and economic disruption in the Gulf region, the potential effects on behavioral health include increased rates of mood, anxiety, and substance-use disorders; exacerbation of existing mental illnesses; increased rates of somatic manifestations of stress; and increased rates of child abuse and intimate-partner violence.4 Information about the population at risk may be derived in part from traditional data sources, such as the census, but more complete information requires access to local knowledge, particularly from organizations that work with historically marginalized populations. In addition, key local informants can impart crucial information about existing community services, permitting coordination among local, state, and national organizations.

Disaster response must build on the framework of existing systems. Five years after Katrina, the infrastructure for mental health and substance-abuse services in the Gulf region has evolved, but substantial challenges remain. Assets include programs, such as Reach NOLA, that train community mental health workers, using models for community engagement and peer-to-peer support. Safety-net providers have developed mobile medical units, with increasing colocation of mental and general health services. And since Katrina, grassroots organizations have empowered communities that are increasingly savvy about relevant research, disasters, and bureaucracy.

Governments' public health preparedness has also advanced considerably. Public health surveillance systems fortified during the 2009 response to the H1N1 influenza epidemic began collecting oil-related health information soon after the explosion; public health officials are exploring the use of similar methods for mental health surveillance. Through established relationships with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), state health departments have coordinated local public health and behavioral health responses in consultation with national public health experts.

Still, we are not where we need to be. There are too few providers of mental health and substance-abuse services and too many barriers to care. Safety-net services are located predominantly in large cities, rather than coastal towns, and much of the affected area is medically underserved. In smaller communities, services are scarce for immigrants such as Vietnamese-American fishing families. Deep-seated negative public perceptions and discrimination against people with mental illnesses or addictions, compounded by suspicion of government and research institutions, make it challenging to get people in emotional distress — including health care providers — to seek or accept interventions. And there is little generalizable research on ways of reducing long-term mental health effects and rates of substance abuse after a disaster.

To enable quicker response and recovery, surveillance systems for mental illness and substance abuse must be strengthened through broader intellectual investment in a conceptual framework and technical requirements.5 Some current surveillance approaches, such as tracking calls to poison-control centers and domestic-violence hotlines, are already being applied. Other methods, such as syndromic surveillance, require refinement, given the varied somatic manifestations of stress and the potential reluctance of historically marginalized populations to seek mental health or substance-abuse services. Again, local engagement is key: community agencies can alert public health officials to emerging issues.
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GRAY MATTERS: The Consequences of Unequal Wealth Distribution

by Saul Friedman

Shirley Sherrod had it about right when she said,

“Y’all, it’s about poor versus those who have. It’s really about those who have versus those who don’t. And they could be black, they could be white, they could be Hispanic...”

That wasn’t exactly the whole truth, for she and her husband. Charles, were ardent, longtime civil rights activists who understood that years of racism, played a large role in perpetuating the ignorance and poverty in the south among blacks as well as whites.

(Racism is here defined as the belief among many whites, supported by the law, that Negroes were inferior. Only in America did the Supreme Court, in Dred Scott, hold that black slaves were chattel, less than human.)

Overcoming that sad heritage, Ms. Sherrod, who has spent a lifetime helping in the struggles of the poor of all shades put her finger on a fundamental human problem in much of the world, especially the United States - the unequal distribution of wealth among too many of us.

That is the subject of a new book that has become the rage among social scientists and activists in Europe, especially Britain. It’s called The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger, written by British public health researchers Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett who have produced an unprecedented rediscovery of the causes of so much of today’s anger towards the institutions of government and finance.

The book was called to my attention by a Canadian reader, Dr. Rob Dumont, a PhD, from a prominent and wealthy family. In a reply to one of my pieces on poverty, he quoted from the book to tell me that according to its central thesis, the growing gap in many countries between the haves and the have-nots is responsible for more than the misery of poverty.

According to the book, such health and social problems as “Obesity, Mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, homicides, imprisonment rates, lowered life expectancy, overconsumption of resources, teen pregnancy and the lack of social mobility,” all have in common strong links to inequality of wealth.

Interestingly, the authors, who have exhaustively documented their work, do not denounce the wealthy. Rather they point out that the most affluent citizens as well as the most wealthy countries also suffer from these ills. Their analysis mocks the American Declaration of Independence which proclaimed, “all men are created equal.” The original sin of slavery gave lie to that promise and the lack of equality has taken a toll in this nation even today.

As one knowledgeable Amazon reviewer, Dr. Nicholas P. G. Davies, a Briton, wrote,

“Inequality issues are often presented as being about the poor, but this book shows we are all poorer for living in more unequal societies. Inequality is as bad for the rich as it is for the poor. Society is poorer as inequality becomes greater.”

As Wilkinson and Pickett make clear with dozens of graphs, which rate the nations based on the problems that come with inequality,

“The impacts of inequality show up in poorer health, lower educational attainment, higher crime rates, lower spending of social capital, lower cooperation with and trust of government.”

One graph that shows the “health and social problems are worse in more unequal countries,” makes these points:

“The U.S, Portugal and the United Kingdom rate high in the amount of income inequality. For the U.S., low taxes (by international standards), a weak trade union movement, low minimum wage and a tradition of individualism have resulted in a high level of income inequality.”

Indeed, the U.S., with its obsession with the market economy, has modest social programs, Social Security and Medicare, while most of the other 20 nations listed are social democracies with a broad array of social insurance benefits, including universal health care. Canada is roughly in the middle of the pack, along with France, Spain and Switzerland. Japan and the Scandinavian nations have the lowest income inequality, offering cradle-to-grave social programs.

Some critics suggest that the book cherry picks its statistics and the alleged problems to prove their point. But who could argue with the graph that puts the U.S., the richest country, almost off the charts showing the relationship between a huge income gap – perhaps the highest among civilized countries – and such health and social problems as infant mortality, higher than most European nations, homicide and imprisonment rates (the highest in the world), obesity, child well-being (poverty among children has reached new heights) and drug and alcohol addiction?

Any thinking American can verify the sad truth in another graph that shows these health and social problems are worse in more income-unequal states. With the rise of unfettered rapacious, anti-labor capitalism, which touted sweatshops and child labor, income inequality rose to criminal levels.

And today, as you might expect, the southern states, namely Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia and Florida “have high levels of income inequality and much poorer outcomes in the health and social areas.”

These states also have the highest levels of poverty and the lowest levels of education attainment, and in the last couple of years, income inequality has become worse throughout the United States, especially in the industrial north, as a result of the 2008-9 recession which has increased home foreclosures, personal bankruptcies and the numbers of Americans – nearly 50 million – struggling against poverty or near poverty.

Yet at the same time, the rich are becoming obscenely richer. Michelle Singletary, reported in the Washington Post last month that while the average income for the top one percent of earners rose 281 percent, or $973,000 per household, in the last decade, the bottom fifth saw their incomes increase 16 percent, or $2,400 per household.

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, who wrote the forward for the American edition of the book, noted that today’s CEOs are paid more than 350 times that of the average worker. Surely we’ll see the results of such inequality in health and social problems in the next few years.

In his inaugural speech, President Obama said, “The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.” But that’s exactly what has happened as bankers have made huge profits and gotten scandalous bonuses while real unemployment reaches towards 15 percent.

Franklin Roosevelt fought the economic royalists of his day to help Shirley Sherrod’s Georgia get electricity and survive the Great Depression with the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Works Progress Administration. What has Obama done?

One can blame the Republicans or the U.S. Senate, but where is the leadership of the President? It won’t do to give Ms. Sherrod a job. Platitudes like, “I feel your pain,” are not true. It might help to use the powers of his federal government to put Americans to work. But as she said,

“Folks with money want to stay in power and they’ll do what they need to do to stay in power...It’s always about money, y’all.”

Find out more about Spirit Level, at the excellent British web site, The Equality Trust, which supports the messages in the book.

Write to saulfriedman@comcast.net
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Treatment of Co-Occurring Alcohol Use Disorders and Depression/Anxiety Disorders

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The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), invites applications to support research on the treatment of individuals with co-occurring alcohol use disorders and depression/anxiety. Anxiety disorders include generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, and posttraumatic stress disorder. The scope of interest includes innovative pharmacological and behavioral treatments based on biological, psychological, behavioral, and social/cultural models of etiology and treatment of comorbid alcohol use disorders and depression/anxiety. In addition, this FOA accepts Comparative and Effectiveness Research applications which compares two or more different existing treatments in this comorbid population. This FOA is limited to depression and anxiety because of the high prevalence of these psychiatric disorders in individuals with alcohol use disorders. Mechanism of Support. This FOA will use the NIH Exploratory/Developmental (R21) award mechanism and runs in parallel with a FOA of identical scientific scope, PAS-10-251, that encourages applications under the R01 mechanisms Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards. Awards issued under this FOA are contingent upon the submission of a sufficient number of meritorious applications. NIAAA has set aside $1.5 million in total cost for fiscal year 2011, and expects that a total of up to six awards will be made for this and companions FOAs. The total amount awarded and the number of awards will depend upon the quality, duration and costs of the applications received .

Eligible Applicants

State governments
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
Private institutions of higher education
For profit organizations other than small businesses
Small businesses
Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

Link to Full Announcement

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAS-10-252.html

Review of Tennessee's Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grants for Federal Fiscal Years 2003 Through 2008

The Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities' (the State agency) controls over the expenditure of its Substance Abuse block grant funds were not always adequate.  Specifically, OIG noted four weaknesses in State agency policies and procedures involving:  (1) Federal reporting, (2) subrecipient monitoring, (3) subrecipient expenditure approval, and (4) maintenance of effort and earmarking.

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New Resource on Addressing Specific Substance Abuse Treatment Needs of Women

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Older years are filled with many adjustments and challenges, often including loss of spouse and close friends, retirement, and reduced income. Some women turn to alcohol or drugs to help meet these life changes. Because many older women live alone (40 percent of those aged 65 and older [FIFARS 2004]), their substance use is difficult to measure (Moore et al. 1989). Older women tend to hide their substance use because they attach greater stigma to it than men do (CSAT 1998d). Older women are less likely than older men to drink or use drugs in public, so they are less likely to drive while intoxicated or engage in other behavior that might reveal a substance use disorder (SAMHSA 2008).

Substance use disorders in older women often go undetected by primary care professionals because of a lack of appropriate diagnostic criteria and because many signs of abuse can be mistaken for other conditions more prevalent in later life (e.g., cognitive impairment, anemia, physiological consequences from falls). It is not unusual for older patients to show poor compliance with the recommended use of their medications (Menninger 2002).

Download Tip 51 Manual (382 pages)

SAMHSA’s Weekly Financing News Pulse: State and Local Edition April 21, 2010

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Alabama Legislature Approves Budget, Medicaid and CHIP Funding Maintained

On April 13, the Alabama House of Representatives and Alabama Senate approved a $1.6-billion general fund budget for state agency operations that maintains Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) funding at their current levels. The budget relies on a $197-million Federal extension of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding that Congress has not yet approved.

Michigan's Shiawassee County Considers Bond Issue To Refinance CMHA

The Shiawassee County Board of Commissioners is considering putting together a bond issue to refinance the Community Mental Health Authority (CMHA) facility. The proposal under consideration requires the board to issue bonds and use the proceeds to acquire CMHA's facility, which it would then lease to CMHA. CMHA would make payments equal to the amount of debt service on the county's bonds for 23 years, at which point the bonds would be paid off and CMHA would take back control of the title from the county. CMHA would be responsible for all costs and maintenance of the building for the duration of the lease. The CEO of CMHA says that the plan would save them $15,000 annually.

Nevada Governor Agrees To Allocate Funds To Prepare for Medicaid Expansion

On April 14, Governor Jim Gibbons (R) agreed at a Nevada Board of Examiners meeting to spend $279,119 in state funds to establish a planning unit to prepare for the expansion of Medicaid in 2014. Nevada currently only allows families with incomes up to 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) to enroll in Medicaid, but under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, adults without children will become eligible for Medicaid and the income eligibility expands to up to 133 percent of the FPL. The funds will allow Nevada Department of Health and Human Services Director Mike Willden to hire staff and a consultant to determine how much additional staff and funding will be necessary for the state to comply with the new requirements. Willden projects that under the new law, Nevada will add 150,000 to the 260,000 currently on its Medicaid rolls.

Virginia Governor Proposes Budget Amendments on Mental and Substance Use Treatment

Governor Bob McDonnell (R) proposed two budget amendments that would affect behavioral health treatment in Virginia. The first would authorize the expansion of the state's Medicaid managed care program to cover community mental health and substance abuse services and residential treatments. The second would add behavioral health drugs to the Medicaid Preferred Drug List, a proposal that legislators rejected under previous administrations. Lawmakers will vote on the measures on April 21. To continue reading these articles and see all articles included in this week's State and Local Financing News Pulse
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SAMHA Financing News Pulse: State and Local Edition

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Inside This Issue

Georgia DBHDD Hires Consultant To Improve Mental Health System, Avoid Federal Takeover

Stemming from U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation of Georgia’s mental hospitals, the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) hired an independent consultant to help improve the state’s mental health system and avoid a costly Federal takeover. DBHDD will pay Dr. Nirbhay Singh and his associates up to $3.5 million for 1 year of consulting and training services beginning October 2009. DBHDD also retains the option to extend Dr. Singh’s contract for several years. The DOJ has already requested an independent overseer for the state’s mental health services.

Update: Tennessee DMHDD Faces $9.4 Million in Cuts

As a result of Governor Phil Bredesen’s (D) proposed budget, the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities (DMHDD) is facing a $9.4 million budget cut. The governor’s proposed Medicaid cuts compound direct DMHDD funding reductions, though DMHDD officials note that it is difficult to project the effects of the Medicaid cuts until the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services officially approves the changes. Under the proposed budget, DMHDD will preserve $21.5 million to fund the Behavioral Health Safety Net, which provides mental health services to severely mentally ill residents who do not qualify for TennCare, the state’s Medicaid program.

New Mexico House Rejects Bill Allowing Judges To Sentence Drug Offenders to Treatment

On February 12, the New Mexico House rejected the Substance Abuse and Crime Prevention Act (HB 178) that would have allowed judges to sentence drug-involved offenders to substance abuse treatment rather than jail. Under the rejected bill, the offender would pay for treatment and the state could pursue charges if the offender failed to complete treatment. Proponents of the bill argue that it would have saved New Mexico $22 million annually.

To continue reading these articles and see all articles included in this week’s State and Local Financing News Pulse, download the complete issue.

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• Focus on Georgia's Mental Health Crisis (psychcentral.com)

NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness | Hearts and Minds

The NAMI Hearts & Minds program is an online, interactive, educational initiative promoting the idea of wellness in both mind and body. Wellness is an ongoing process of learning how to make choices that support a more successful, healthy life.

Engaging in a wellness effort can make a huge difference in the quality of your life. One study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed that taking the wellness approach can result in a 17 percent decline in total medical visits and a 35 percent decline in medical visits for minor illnesses.

Wellness is about the individual; you can decide what parts of your life you would like to change and you can determine your own success.
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Don't Give Up on Older Smokers

Older smokers may make better quitters.

That’s the surprising finding from an analysis of a 16-week smoking cessation program at Florida State University (FSU). Contrary to conventional wisdom, which holds that older adult smokers are “lost causes” when it comes to quitting, researchers found that older smokers are more receptive to and often more successful at quitting than younger smokers.

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Medical News: Administration Issues Mental Health Parity Rule - in Psychiatry, General Psychiatry from MedPage Today

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By Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today

Under a proposed rule released by the Obama administration, patients in a group insurance plan who are being treated for mental illness or substance abuse may no longer be charged more than if they were receiving medical or surgical care.

The Department of Health and Human Service (HHS), the Department of Labor, and the Internal Revenue Service issued an interim rule last week containing specific language necessary to enforce the bipartisan mental health parity law passed by Congress in 2008.

The law -- called the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act -- states that if a group health plan covers the treatment of mental illness or drug or alcohol abuse, the limits and financial requirements for these services can be "no more restrictive" than those that apply to medical and surgical benefits.

That means an insurance plan cannot charge higher copayments, deductibles, and out-of-pocket expenses for mental health services than for treatment of physical illnesses.
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• Insurers Must Offer Equal Coverage for Those with Emotional, Addiction Problems (nlm.nih.gov)
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• Health Buzz: Government Issues Mental-Health Coverage Rules (usnews.com)
• New Federal Law Expands Mental Health Coverage (medicalnewstoday.com)
• More on Parity (meganmcardle.theatlantic.com)

Alcohol Use And Cognitive Decline Among The Elderly

from Medical News Today

Studies of alcohol use and cognition among the elderly are rare and have mixed results. A study of drinking among the elderly in Brazil has found that heavy alcohol use is associated with more memory and cognitive problems than mild-to-moderate alcohol use, especially among women.

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Among Older Drinkers, Social Factors Can Both Predict And Sustain Alcohol Misuse

from Medical News Today

Social factors have consistently been implicated as a cause of vulnerability to alcohol use and abuse. The reverse is also true, in that individuals who engage in excessive drinking may alter their social context. New research on drinking among older adults has found that older adults who have more money, engage in more social activities, and whose friends approve more of drinking are more likely to engage in excessive or high-risk drinking.

Results will be published in the April 2010 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.

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• Too Much Alcohol Impairs Seniors' Thinking (nlm.nih.gov)

Increasing Substance Abuse Levels among Older Adults Likely to Create Sharp Rise in Need for Treatment Services in Next Decade

According to a new report, need for substance abuse treatment among Americans over age 50 projected to double by 2020

A new study done by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) indicates that the aging of the baby boom generation is resulting in a dramatic increase in levels of illicit drug use among adults 50 and older. These increases may require the doubling of substance abuse treatment services needed for this population by 2020, according to the report.

Link to Full Report

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New TAP on Implementing Change in Substance Abuse Treatment

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Technical Assistance Publication (TAP) 31: Implementing Change in Substance Abuse Treatment Programs provides guidance on integrating evidence-based practices (EBPs) into substance abuse treatment programs.

Written for substance abuse treatment administrators, managers, and supervisors, TAP 31 suggests practical and efficient approaches for introducing and implementing EBPs. It includes steps for assessing an organization’s readiness to adopt new practices, identifying priorities in adopting EBPs, evaluating progress, and sustaining change over time. TAP 31 complements the best practices described in SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment's (CSAT's) Treatment Improvement Protocols.

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September is Recovery Month

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Many Baby Boomers are Continuing Illicit Drug Use into Their Later Years According to New Analytic Publication

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Many baby boomers (Americans in the generation born between 1946 and 1964) are continuing to use illicit drugs as they grow older, causing the rate of illicit drug use to go up within the 50 to 59 year old age segment of the population. According to a new analytical publication produced by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), those aged 50 to 59 reporting use of illicit drugs within the past year has nearly doubled from 5.1 percent in 2002 to 9.4 percent in 2007 while rates among all other age groups are statistically staying the same or decreasing. Read More

2009 Science and Service Awards Will Honor Implementation of Evidence-Based Mental Health and Substance Abuse Interventions

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has issued a call for applications for its 2009 Science and Service Awards, a national program that recognizes community-based organizations and coalitions that have shown exemplary implementation of evidence-based mental health and substance abuse interventions.

Awards will be made in each of the five categories: substance abuse prevention, treatment of substance abuse and recovery support services, mental health promotion, treatment of mental illness and recovery support services, and co-occurring disorders. To be eligible for an award, an organization must have successfully implemented a recognized evidence-based intervention. Examples include those that are published in scientific literature and/or appear on a Federal and/or state registry of evidence-based interventions.

Both public sector (State, local, territorial, tribal) and private sector organizations (including community-based organizations and/or coalitions) are eligible to compete for these non-monetary awards. Developers of an evidence-based intervention or their research collaborators, previous award winners, and Federal agencies are not eligible for the awards.

All applications will be rated using the following four criteria: community need, sustainability, accurate implementation, and results. Independent experts will review and recommend for an award the top scoring submissions in each of the five categories. One or more reviewers may also make a site visit to finalists prior to the announcement of the award recipients.

Winners will receive a commemorative award and will be further recognized on www.samhsa.gov. Award winners do not receive any financial compensation.

Complete information is available on the SAMHSA Web site at www.samhsa.gov/scienceandservice by clicking on "Application Materials for 2009 Awards."

Applications must be emailed by February 27, 2009 to Michelle Duda, Science and Service Awards Coordinator, at duda@mail.fpg.unc.edu. For those without access to email, the application must be postmarked by midnight on February 27, 2009 and mailed to Dean Fixsen, Ph.D., FPG Child Development Institute, CB #8040 UNC Campus, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-8040.