Announcements

Tribal substance abuse treatment facilities lead in offering community outreach services

March 28, 2012 A new report shows that 81 percent of substance abuse treatment facilities run by tribal governments provided outreach services to persons in the community who may need treatment. The report, by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that the level of outreach services provided by tribal substance abuse facilities was notably higher than the levels among other private and public-run facilities. Overall, 51 percent of all treatment substance facilities provided outreach services.

These services include programs such as behavioral health education, language services and transportation to treatment for members of the community. These services are especially important to traditionally underserved populations, such as people experiencing homelessness, people in rural areas and members of certain racial and ethnic groups.

"It is encouraging that half of all substance abuse treatment facilities, and a large majority of tribal treatment facilities, are offering outreach services. Increasing the numbers of outreach services is critical so people are not denied access to treatment because of socio-economic, logistical and other reasons," said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde. "We need to do everything in our power to make access to substance abuse treatment easier and open the door to hope and the opportunity for a bright and thriving future."

The following facilities have reported these outreach service levels:
Federal Government facilities - 56 percent
Local, County or Community Government - 55 percent
Private, Non-Profit Organization - 53 percent
State Government - 50 percent
Private, For-Profit - 43 percent

SAMHSA has several programs that promote outreach services to those in need of treatment - particularly to traditionally underserved communities. These programs include Access to Recovery (ATR) grants which employ a voucher management system that provides eligible clients the opportunity to choose clinical treatment and recovery support services from a list of providers. The six ATR tribal grantees operating in nine states provide extensive outreach services to rural reservation communities and remote villages as well as major metropolitan areas.

The report Half of All Substance Abuse Treatment Facilities and More than Three Quarters of Those Owned By Tribal Governments Offer Outreach Services is based on SAMHSA 2009 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS). The N-SSATS report is a survey of 13,513 substance abuse treatment facilities across the U.S. The Spotlight report is available at: www.samhsa.gov/spotlights/CBHSQ_Spot045_Outreach_2012.pdf.

Women on probation or parole more likely to experience mental illness

March 26, 2012 A new report shows that women aged 18 to 49 on probation or parole are nearly twice as likely to experience mental illness as other women. The study conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) showed that almost half of women in this age range who had been on probation (49.4 percent) and more than half on parole (54.2 percent) in the past year had experienced some form of mental illness -- compared to 27.5 percent of women who had not been on probation or parole.

"This report highlights the very real need for providing better behavioral healthcare for women emerging from the criminal justice system," said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde. "Providing these services not only meets a vital public health need, but is a very sound investment since it can prevent many at-risk women from returning to the criminal justice system. Since women play a vital role in families, schools, business, and government, the recovery of women to productive lives can have an enormous positive impact on America's communities."

The study also found rates of serious mental illness (defined as mental illness that substantially limits major life activities) were two to three times higher for women who had been on probation (21.5 percent) or on parole (28.5 percent) than for women who had not been on probation or parole (7.8 percent). Research indicates that women in the criminal justice system with untreated mental health problems have greater difficulty reintegrating into their families and communities and are more likely to re-offend than those without mental health problems.

SAMHSA, through the SAMHSA GAINS Center, provides technical assistance support with a primary focus on expanding access to community based services for adults diagnosed with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders at all points of contact with the justice system. The center provides technical assistance to the field, related to Adult Treatment Court Collaboratives and Jail Diversion Trauma Recovery programs. There is also a special section of resources at the center specifically to help women involved with the criminal justice system. Further information can be accessed at http://gains.prainc.com/topical_resources/women.asp. The report entitled, Data Spotlight: Half of Women on Probation or Parole Experience Mental Illness, is based on data analyzed from SAMHSA's 2008-2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). NSDUH is a scientifically conducted annual survey of approximately 67,500 people throughout the country, aged 12 and older. The report is available at: www.samhsa.gov/data/spotlight/Spot063WomenParole2012.pdf.

Training Course In Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology

March 15, 2012 The MCHB and CDC are offering a Training Course in MCH Epidemiology as part of their ongoing effort to enhance the analytic capacity of state and local health agencies. This national program is aimed primarily at professionals in state and local health agencies who have significant responsibility for collecting, processing, analyzing, and reporting maternal and child health data. Faculty working with state or local MCH departments are also eligible for the course. This year, the course is geared to individuals with intermediate to advanced skills in using statistical and epidemiologic methods, preferably in MCH or a related field.

The training curriculum is designed to build conceptual, technical, and analytic skills for using data effectively, and focuses on applications that are relevant to the day-to-day work of participants. The training course is an intensive program, combining lectures, discussion, hands-on exercises, and opportunities for individualized technical assistance. In addition, the in-person training will be supplemented with webinars both before and after the course.

New Resources from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)

March 15, 2012 A new ACOG website provides resources for women's health care providers in identifying women who drink too much and in providing brief educational counseling to reduce or eliminate alcohol use. It also provides information for the public along with linked resources. This website is a one-stop choice, offering a cell phone app, downloadable patient information sheets, current news articles, treatment referral information, and more. The tools on this website were developed in response to the needs expressed by ACOG's members. Some examples of tools you can find here include:

Alcohol screening and brief intervention at a glance - Pocket card
Tips for working with women who drink
iPhone app for identifying and intervening with women who drink at risk levels
ACOG Committee Opinion: At risk drinking and alcohol dependence: Obstetric and gynecologic implications
Additional clinician resources
Community resources

Panel of Experts Releases New Policy Statement on Recognizing Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND) Among Children in Primary Care

February 15, 2012 An independent panel of experts has released a policy statement offering new expertise on the identification and diagnosis of Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND) among children in primary care settings.

The panel, convened by the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), included health care professionals, biomedical researchers, academics, educators, and child advocate/policy/legal representatives. The panel met from October 31 through November 2, 2011, and based their deliberations on a core group of questions:

What is ARND, and how can it be diagnosed?
Can ARND be differentiated from other disorders?
What prenatal alcohol exposure evidence is necessary for an ARND diagnosis?
What signs/symptoms will be useful as screening criteria?
What are the treatment needs for those diagnosed with ARND?

The panel's new statement is a response to the growing body of knowledge on ARND and other Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). In 2004, the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Task Force on FAS and Fetal Alcohol Effect issued Guidelines for Referral and Diagnosis of FAS. Evidence for recommending screening and referral for diagnosis of Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND) was considered insufficient at that time. However, since then, a large body of research evidence has been published on further characterization and differentiation of the cognitive, behavioral, emotional, and adaptive functioning deficits associated with prenatal alcohol exposure.

Based on this evidence and identification of the principal issues with researchers and clinicians, ICCFASD determined that the time had come to reassess whether sufficient evidence now exists to recommend screening and/or referral for diagnosis of ARND in primary health care of children. In addition to their deliberations at the conference, the panel based the new policy statement on (1) relevant published studies assembled by the scientific committee of the conference, (2) presentations of data from the peer-reviewed scientific literature by experts working in areas relevant to the conference questions, and (3) questions and comments from conference attendees during open discussion periods.

The policy statement, along with the program and agenda from the conference, can be downloaded at: www.niaaa.nih.gov/AboutNIAAA/Interagency/Pages/default.aspx.

February 12-18, 2012 is Children of Alcoholics Week

February 15, 2012 The National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACOA) is sponsoring its annual Children of Alcoholics (COA) Week from February 12-18, 2012. COA Week celebrates the thousands of children of all ages who have received the help they needed to recover from pain and losses suffered in their childhood, and offers hope to those still suffering from the adverse impact of parental substance abuse through educational programs, proclamations by mayors and governors, poster contests in schools, and radio, television and print media.

To access informative multimedia materials about COA Week and learn what you can do to promote COA Week and awareness of the needs of children whose parents are struggling with substance abuse issues, visit: www.nacoa.org/coaweek_tools.html.

Adobe™ PDF and MS Office™ formatted files require software viewer programs to properly read them. Click here to download these FREE programs now.