Member Benefits

SAAS welcomes all state associations who represent  providers of prevention, treatment, and/or recovery services.  Click here to join online.  For more information or questions contact Becky Vaughn at bvaughn@saasnet.org

 Advocacy

• SAAS has a strong and longstanding partnership with the Legal Action Center to represent the interests of providers in Congress, advocating for increased funding of addiction prevention and treatment programs. In collaboration with other partners in the field we have been successful in maintaining and increasing funds for the federal substance abuse block grant, prevention programs, and other treatment, research, and education activities.

• SAAS promotes the interests of prevention and treatment programs as Congress considers Medicaid reform, health coverage parity for substance abuse, ex-offender re-entry legislation, reauthorization of SAMHSA programs, substance abuse issues under the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program, and other legislation. Twice a year, SAAS members meet with key Representatives and Senators and Committee Chairs in Washington.

• Leaders of the 43 SAAS member associations meet regularly with the Administrator of SAMHSA and other senior officials of SAMHSA, NIAAA, and NIDA to make sure that they understand the challenges and practical realities facing community-based providers.

Quality Improvement/Program Development

• As the demand for use of evidence-based practices and other quality improvement efforts expands, SAAS is representing providers in several major venues: the National Quality Forum, the Institute of Medicine, NIATx, Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care, the National ATTC, Medicaid, and other initiatives.

• SAAS participates regularly in activities of SAMHSA, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to promote clinically relevant research and facilitate the transfer of science to practice.

• SAAS has led or partnered on several SAMHSA contracts to address challenging issues for providers including workforce development, providers networks, and meeting the treatment gap. SAAS also led an initiative to provide emergency funds to service providers after Hurricane Katrina.

Education and Information Dissemination

• SAAS has received SAMHSA funding to join with the National Conference of State Legislatures in an effort to educate state legislators on realistic expectations for treatment outcomes and the evaluation of programs as well as new and emerging trends and protocols.

• In July 2006, SAAS sponsored its first national conference for Executives and Senior Managers in Addiction Services.” More than 350 leaders from across the country came together for learning sessions on administrative, policy, budget, workforce, and other leadership challenges. Since then the annual conference has grown every year topping 600 attendees in 2008 when SAAS partnered with NIATx for their annual summit.

• SAAS is an important source of information-sharing among state associations. Membership Meetings, held twice a year, are a forum for discussing both federal and state policy issues and the membership, revenue, advocacy, and other challenges that state associations deal with. The SAAS e-mail network is a significant mechanism for association leaders to maintain contact and share experiences.

Practical Membership Benefits

• The SAAS E-Newshas become an important source of information for members of SAAS-affiliated state associations. The newsletter covers policy and clinical developments, grant opportunities, and prevention and treatment resources.

• SAAS members also receive the Washington Weekly Roundup while Congress is in session –

a compilation of key legislative developments from the Legal Action Center.

• SAAS has entered into several corporate partnerships which allow state associations to offer valuable benefits to their members including revenue sharing for the association:

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  • Hazelden Publishing and Educational Services gives a 20 percent discount to members on purchase of curricula, educational manuals, videos, and other materials; 5% of sales is shared with the State Association.

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  • Wiley and Sons, Inc. provides substantial discounts to members for newsletters: Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly (ADAW), Mental Health Weekly (MHW) and The Brown University Digest of Addiction Theory & Application, and magazines. $150 per year for ADAW or MHW and $275 for both. The State Association receives $10 per subscription.

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  • The Express Drug Screening Program offers discounted pricing for members for urinalysis by a SAMHSA-certified lab; 30 cents per lab test and per onsite test cup is shared with the State Association.

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  • The Unemployment Services Trust is an alternative, often less expensive, program available only to nonprofits to pay state unemployment insurance taxes. State Associations receive $4 per provider and then $2 each year they stay in the program.

• FoodSource Plus is a food and supply purchasing services and management consulting company, which works exclusively with the non-profit, human service sector. Their professionals will perform a free audit of the organization's food and supply purchases then recommend purchasing procedures and vendors that save most FoodSource Plus members 10% - 35% annually. The State Association receives 1% of all purchases.

SAAS is continually looking for other opportunities to support State Associations and their members. For more information contact Becky Vaughn at bvaughn@saasnet.org

August 2008