SAAS UPDATE - October 19, 2009
As you are undoubtedly aware, healthcare reform is the buzz word in every office, coffee shop and restaurant in DC these days. SAAS and our lobbying partner, Legal Action Center, remain on top of the constant changes as each version of the various legislation is discussed and redrafted. Some of our recent activities have included Congressional briefings, sign-on letters, and what seems like an infinite number of emails to be read and responded to. In the midst of all the flurry, I attended the National Quality Forum (NQF) Fall Membership and Policy Meeting. The National Quality Forum (NQF) is a nonprofit organization that aims to improve the quality of healthcare for all Americans through fulfillment of its three-part mission:
- Setting national priorities and goals for performance improvement;
- Endorsing national consensus standards for measuring and publicly reporting on performance; and
- Promoting the attainment of national goals through education and outreach programs.
NQF recently released the National Voluntary Consensus Standards for the Treatment of Substance Use Conditions: Evidence-Based Treatment Practices. SAAS participates with almost 400 other members representing virtually every sector of the healthcare system. We participate on the Public/Community Health Agency Council; there are very few behavioral healthcare members, so our voice is extremely important. NQF's President and CEO, Dr. Janet Corrigan put if very well in her letter welcoming us to the recent meeting: "The fragmented nature of American healthcare and an archaic payment system that rewards volume over value perpetuate disparate and disappointing results". It reminds all of us to accelerate our efforts to make high-quality care commonplace for everyone we serve. Speakers included Joanne Silberner, health correspondent from NPR; Nancy-Ann DeParle, JD, Director of the President's Office for Health Reform; Dr. David Blumenthal, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, HHS, just to name a few. Click here to be directed to the NQF website to access this and more information about NQF.
The SAAS Fall Membership Policy Meeting (November 3-6) is fast approaching. While healthcare reform will be a big piece of the agenda (surprise!), we will also be focusing on strategies to increase resources in the FY 2011 Federal Budget. We will also spend some time talking about State Legislative strategies and State Provider Association issues. Many members consider these meetings one of their best member benefits-don't miss the opportunity to network, share, and make a positive impact with your policy makers.
Our Benchmarking Initiative continues to grow in participation. This tool can mean the difference between "just surviving" and actually thriving in the current world of economic challenges and budget slashing.
Finally, we have launched a series of Provider Roundtables for discussion and sharing among SAAS members and their Provider members. We have identified topics that are relevant to issues facing providers today. The first two roundtables, Benchmarking and Healthcare Reform were very successful. Our next one will focus on the needs of returning service members, veterans and their families and what opportunities and challenges exist in working with this population, led by Iraq war veteran, Army wife and addiction healthcare advocate, Angela Halvorson. Join us October 28, 2009, at 2:00 EDT. There will be plenty of opportunity for providers to share what's happening in their area and to talk about how others might benefit from their success. Please send me suggestions for future topics that you would like to have included in our roundtable discussions.
As always, thank you for what you do to serve individuals, families, and communities. You continue to make a difference.
Becky Vaughn
Executive Director
State Associations of Addiction Services
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The Latest for SAAS Members
SAAS would like to welcome our newest member, the Missouri County of Mental Health Centers!
Save the Date for the Next SAAS Roundtable!
The next SAAS Roundtable will focus on the needs of returning service members, veterans and their families and what opportunities and challenges exist in working with this population. The roundtable discussion will be led by Iraq war veteran, Army wife and addiction healthcare advocate, Angela Halvorson. Join us October 28, 2009, at 2:00 EDT.
Shining a Light on Innovation!
Join Us In Cinncinati for the 2010 SAAS National Conference and Annual NIATx Summit
The 2010 SAAS National Conference and Annual NIATx Summit is headed to historic Cinncinati, Ohio July 11-14.
Mark your calendars now!
Call for proposals and exhibitor prospectus will be available the week of October 19.
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Grants and Funding
Community Substance Abuse and HIV/AIDS Prevention Grants Available
SAMHSA today announced the availability of five-year grants totaling $8.2 million for up to five community-based organizations providing integrated substance abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention services to at-risk, traditionally underserved populations.
Grantees will use SAMHSA's Strategic Prevention Framework, a prevention process based on a community's needs, to build substance abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention capacity for traditionally underserved communities. Traditionally underserved communities include African-American, Latino, and other populations residing in geographic areas with high rates of substance abuse and HIV prevalence.
"Substance abuse and HIV/AIDS are often interrelated problems and must be addressed in comprehensive ways," said SAMHSA Acting Administrator Eric Broderick. "These grants will help communities pursue more effective approaches for reaching out to people at risk and providing those in need with appropriate health services."
For more information and application materials, click here.
$28.7 Million Available In Grants to Help Transition from the Criminal Justice System
SAMHSA has announced that it is awarding more than $28.7 million in funding for up to three years to provide substance abuse treatment and related recovery support services to juvenile and adult offenders returning to the community from incarceration.
Organizations receiving funding under the Offender Reentry Program are expected to plan, develop and provide a successful transition from incarceration to community-based substance abuse treatment and recovery support services for people in need, beginning in the correctional or juvenile facilities - before release.
"Treating substance abuse and providing recovery support services is the key to breaking the well known cycle between incarceration and drug abuse," said SAMHSA Acting Administrator, Eric Broderick. "This program provides a solid foundation for people working to restart their lives and become productive members of the community." For information on how to apply, visit www.SAMHSA.com.
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SAMHSA News
SAMHSA Awards $11 Million in SBIRT grants
SAMHSA awarded $11 million over the next five years for six cooperative agreements under the Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment (SBIRT) Medical Residency Program. The primary purpose of these cooperative agreements is to develop and implement training programs that will teach medical residents how to provide evidence-based screening, brief intervention, brief treatment, or referral to specialty treatment, for patients who either have, or are at risk for, a substance use disorder.
Another purpose of the program is to promote adoption and wider dissemination of SBIRT and its related practices in local and statewide medical communities. Studies have shown that by expanding the use of these programs to different medical treatment settings more patients with underlying substance abuse problems might be helped.
"Nearly 95 percent of the people who have a diagnosable substance use disorder are unlikely to seek treatment, -- most often because they are unaware they have a problem," said SAMHSA Acting Administrator Eric Broderick, D.D.S., M.P.H. "This program empowers health care professionals to identify the signs of substance abuse and provide help to those in need in the most expeditious and effective manner possible."
The six selected awardees are: The Regents of the University of California, The Corporation of Mercer University, Baylor College of Medicine, The Curators of the University of Missouri, Indiana University and University of Maryland. For more information, click here.
SAMHSA Awards Family-Centered Grants
SAMHSA recently announced the award of 20 grants totaling $170.5 million over six years to develop and expand systems of care for children and youth with serious emotional disturbances and their families. Click here for the list of awardees.
SAMHSA also awarded more than $12.2 million in grants to support family-centered substance abuse treatment programs for adolescents and their families. This program provides substance abuse treatment services to adolescents, older transition-age youth, their families, and other primary caregivers as a means of helping adolescents successfully transition back into their communities after completing treatment programs.
For more details about the grantees, visit the SAMHSA website.
Multiple Grants Awarded to Expand Substance Abuse Treatment Capacity
SAMHSA awarded nearly $2.4 million in grants over the next four years to expand the substance abuse treatment capacity of juvenile drug courts. This program is being implemented in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). Grantees will use the Juvenile Drug Court: Strategies in Practice or the Reclaiming Futures initiative program models, developed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to expand capacity.
"Most juveniles admitted to treatment are referred from the criminal justice system," said SAMHSA Acting Administrator, Eric Broderick. "These grants will use practices proven to help young people get off drugs and back on track toward building fulfilling lives."
The grantees and per year amounts are:The Superior Court of California for Ventura County for the Reclaiming Futures Ventura County program, Colorado Judicial Department for the Denver Youth Development Court, and Cherokee Nation's Tso-Tsi-Ge-Yu-Hi-Di-Ni-Yo-Tli "We Care Deeply for the Children" program.
SAMHSA also announced it awarded $15.3 million over three years to 13 grantees to expand substance abuse treatment capacity systems in communities that can most benefit from these types of integrated comprehensive services.
These grants will foster the development and utilization of local recovery-oriented systems of care to address gaps in treatment capacity by supporting person-centered and self-directed approaches for substance abuse (including alcohol and drug) treatment and recovery services in communities with serious drug problems.
2009 grant recipients are as follows: Boston Public Health Commission, CASA Esperanza, Inc. (Roxbury, MA), Cope Community Services (Tucson, AZ), Foundation for Research on Sexually Transmitted Diseases (New York, NY), Haymarket Center (Chicago, IL), Institute for Health and Recovery (Cambridge, MA ), Pima Prevention Partnership (Tucson, AZ), Serving Children and Adolescents in Need (Laredo, TX), Southeast, Inc. (Columbus, OH), Spectrum Youth and Family Services (Burlington, VT), Squaxin Island Tribal Council (Elma, WA), Substance Abuse Foundation of Long Beach (CA), and University of Alabama at Birmingham (AL).
For more information, visit SAMHSA's Grants web page.
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News You Can Use
An Action Plan for Behavioral Health Workforce
Development Now Available
Concluding a two-year strategic planning process that involved over 5,000 individuals across the nation, the Annapolis Coalition has completed the Action Plan on Behavioral Health Workforce Development. Funded by the three Centers within SAMHSA, the Coalition was charged with developing a comprehensive plan to address the nation' growing crisis surrounding efforts to recruit, retain, and effectively train a prevention and treatment workforce in the mental health and addiction sectors of this field.
Click here to download a free copy or order a hard copy of the plan.
Promise Shown for Cocaine Vaccine
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)/NIH has released the results of a study showing promise for a cocaine vaccine in treating addiction. For more information, contact Jeff Levine or Stephanie Older at 301-496-6145 or visit the NIDA website to view the press release.
Free Webinar Kicks Off Upcoming National Drug-Free Work Week
The Leadership Foundation partnered with the U.S. Department of Labor's Working Partners program and Working Partners® of Columbus, Ohio will conduct a free webinar to kick off National Drug-Free Work Week (October 19-25, 2009). The webinar will include the release of a toolkit entitled Working to Prevent Underage Drinking, developed to encourage adoption of drug-free workplace programs that deliver education to working parents and other caring adults on how to prevent underage drinking.
The toolkit includes a discussion guide on drug-free workplace programs, an analysis of state laws as they relate to employment drug testing and drug-free workplace educational requirements, a four-part PowerPoint educational module that businesses can present to their employees on preventing childhood drinking, and a compilation of reasons "Why Employers Should Invest" in educating parents in response to the underage drinking epidemic outlined in the 2007 US Surgeon General's Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Underage Drinking.
Support for the initiative was also provided by the U.S. Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Ohio's Bureau of Workers Compensation, the Levin Family Foundation and Midlands Claim Administrators, Inc. The goal is to bring a free on-line resource to Leadership members, community coalitions and others that can be used to help states and coalitions evaluate and enhance their drug-free workplace programs.
The webinar will be held Tuesday, October 20, 2009 from 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (EDT). Reserve your spot now by clicking here. After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Following the webinar, the Toolkit will be available in its entirety at www.alcoholfreechildren.org.
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Research Report
Nationwide Survey Reveals that 33.6 Million Employees Reported Recent Cigarettes Use
A new report reveals that 33.6 million full-time workers aged 18 to 64 (or 28 percent of persons in this category) reported that they smoked cigarettes in the past month based on combined 2006 to 2008 survey data.
The study, Cigarette Use among Adults Employed Full Time, by Occupational Category, by SAMHSA shows that among 22 major occupational categories, the highest rate of past month cigarette use among full-time workers in this age group was found in the food preparation and serving-related occupations (44.7 percent), followed by construction work and mining (or extraction work) at 42.9 percent. By contrast, the lowest rates were seen among those employed in the education, training and library occupations (12.3 percent), as well as the life, physical and social sciences area (15.4 percent.)
Another important finding was that among full-time workers, the rate of past month cigarette use was higher among those age 18 to 25 (40.1 percent) than those in the older age ranges. Rates were 33.9 percent among workers age 26 to 34, 26.7 percent among those age 35 to 49, and 20.7 percent among those age 50 to 64. Overall, full-time employed males (18-64) were more likely than females to have smoked cigarettes in the past month. However females in the community and social services occupations and healthcare practitioners and technical occupations had higher rates of cigarette use than males in those occupations.
"The study provides important insight and updated information that can be used to assist in developing or refining smoking cessation efforts for specific workplace groups," said SAMHSA Acting Administrator, Eric Broderick, D.D.S., M.P.H. "The workplace is an ideal location for programs to educate employees about the risks of smoking and programs to promote smoking cessation to reduce risks of illnesses such as heart disease and cancer."
