Adolescents Perceptions of Risk

An article in today's New York Times discusses research about differences between adolescents and adults in their perceptions of the risks and benefits of "risky behaviors"--including speeding, drug and alcohol use, and unprotected sex--and differences between older and younger adolescents.

The essence is that adolescents have pretty accurate perceptions of the risk involved in these behaviors or, in fact, overestimate the risks. Rather, they appear consistently to overestimate the benefits of the risky behavior. One implication is that providing more information on the risks of such behaviors may increase the behaviors intended for prevention because it informs the youth that they have overestimated their risks. Read the rest of the article for one approach to overcoming this dilemma.

What might this imply for treatment of adolescents with substance use disorders in Tennessee? How does this fit with current practice and anticipated future practices?

Year 1 Report Available Online

Although the report was completed this spring and approved by the GOCCC this summer, I apparently forgot to post the completed year 1 evaluation report. Sorry for the delay. Here is the link to the file at the www.T-ACT.info archive.

Detecting Community Drug Use

The current (09 Dec 2007) issue of the New York Times Magazine reports on the use of "community urinalysis" to detect drug usage and drug use patterns by monitoring a city's waste water.

The method is essentially similar to community detection efforts in Italy.

Resources for Non-English Speaking Clients

An important part of cultural competence is being able to reach clients in their native languages. To that end, CSAT distributed the following email:

The Multi-Language Initiative (MLI) of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) has released new publications for members of non–English-speaking groups or those with limited English-language abilities.

MLI presents new adaptations of What Is Substance Abuse Treatment? A Booklet for Families, created for Chinese-, Vietnamese-, and Korean-language audiences. The publication answers questions often asked by family members and significant others of people entering treatment and includes a list of support groups.

Additional MLI products available in Spanish, Russian, and Navajo can be downloaded from the KAP website.

…

New Navajo-Language Products:

• Tips for Teens: The Truth About Inhalants
  
• Mind Over Matter: The Brain’s Response to Inhalants
  
• Inhalant Abuse: Your Child at Risk!
  
• A Parent’s Guide To Preventing Inhalant Abuse

New Russian-Language Products:

• Helping Yourself Heal: A Recovering Woman's Guide To Coping With Childhood Abuse Issues
  
• What Is Substance Abuse Treatment? A Booklet for Families

New Chinese-, Korean-, and Vietnamese-Language Products:

• What Is Substance Abuse Treatment? A Booklet for Families

If you follow the KAP link, you will see these and other titles.

NIATX and SAAS Conferences Join Forces

NIATx, the Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment, which we heard about at the October 2007 PAB meeting, is hosting its second annual Summit–Improving Access and Engagement in Addiction and Behavioral Health Treatment.

The meeting will be held in combination with the State Associations of Addiction Services Conference for Executive and Senior Managers in Addiction Services.

Details as of now:

22-25 June 2008
Buena Vista Palace
Orlando, FL
www.niatx.net
www.saasnet.org

Research to Practice: Malt Liquor Sales

The University of Minnesota School of Public Health's alcohol epidemiology program is conducting a three year study, Local Efforts to Restrict Malt Liquor Sales (LERMLS), to investigate the effects of community restrctions on the sale of malt liquor.

Our three-year study, Local Efforts to Restrict Malt Liquor Sales (LERMLS) has three primary objectives:

1. Determine whether the sale and consumption of malt liquor is perceived as a problem by city officials and document what has been done at the local level to restrict it....This aim will be accomplished by conducting a telephone survey of city officials and staff responsible for alcohol policy-making and enforcement in the 100 largest U.S. cities.
   
   
2. Compare six cities’ efforts to adopt policies to restrict malt liquor sales and determine what factors were critical to their success or failure. This aim will be achieved by conducting a retrospective, comparative case study of three cities that successfully adopted policies that restrict malt liquor sales and three cities that were unsuccessful.
   
   
3. Create a national database that provides summaries of key features of local policies that have been successfully adopted to restrict malt liquor sales on our Alcohol Epidemiology website (http://www.epi.umn.edu/alcohol), which is accessible to local policy makers, law enforcement officials, community groups, and researchers. The database will also include a summary of the literature on malt liquor consumption and policies to restrict its use, model ordinances that cities may wish to adapt to their communities, a summary of factors that may facilitate or impede adoption of these policies, and examples of measures that can be used to evaluate these policies.

Our study builds on findings from our Malt Liquor and Homicide (MLH) study, which investigated the role of alcohol and malt liquor availability and promotion in explaining disparities in homicide rates in inner-city neighborhoods in 10 U.S. cities including Santa Ana, Oakland, San Francisco, Kansas City (KS), Kansas City (MO), St. Paul, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Boston, and Baltimore. The MLH study was funded by the National Institute of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse.

Additional information on these studiecs can be found at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health's website.

Induced Addiction Amnesia

A report in the 26 Oct 2007 issue of Science, summarized here, indicates scientists can induce rats to 'forget' their addiction to amphetamines:

Rats addicted to amphetamines temporarily 'forget' their drug cravings after receiving targeted brain injections of lidocaine, a medication commonly used by dentists to numb patients' gums.

Researchers say that the medication worked by inactivating an area of the brain known as the insular cortex or insula, which has previously been implicated in controlling drug addiction. They hope that altering activity in the insula might one day work to treat drug addiction in people.

Legislating and Contracting for Cultural Competence

According to this note, the State of Washington is requiring all department of health licensed professions to demonstrate cultural competence as a means to reduce to racial and ethnic health disparities.

Toward the end, examples of how states and private sector health plans have built awareness of racial and ethnic disparities into managed care contracts, for example, by requiring reporting of health conditions, adverse events, and procedure rates by race and ethnicity.

PAB Meeting Materials

Presentations from the 10 October 2007 Project Advisory Board meeting, including Mary Rolando's update on the Substance Abuse Collaborative and the NIATx presentations, as well as the follow-up provider workshop on NIATx of 11 October 2007, are available on the document archive.

Epilepsy Drug Fights Alcohol Addiction?

According to this report, a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (vol.298, no.14, p.1641) reports on the use of the epilepsy drug topiramate, an anti-convulsant (brand: Topamax), to curb alcohol consumption. The druge reduced both the volume of alcohol consumption per day and the frequency of heavy drinking.

Survey & Grant Announcement Archives

As part of our efforts to improve the functionality of this site, we have added two new links on the right hand side of the blog. Under T-ACT Key Links, you will find new links for "Grant Announcements" and "T-ACT Surveys." As new grants or surveys are announced, they will be compiled in the archive so that instead of having to search through the blog for a particular post you will be able to click on these links to find more quickly what you need.

Survey of PAB Members

At the last PAB meeting in July, Dr. Catron announced that Mary Rolando in GOCCC would be leading a financial mapping of substance abuse services for adolescents. As part of that effort, she has forwarded the following message:

The GOCCC, with support from T-ACT and in collaboration with DMHDD and DCS, is undertaking a review of the administration and funding of Adolescent Substance Abuse services. The project is referred to as the Substance Abuse Collaborative.

The principal goals are to form recommendations to align financial resources and administrative practices that will result in quality services to more Tennessee youth, and to achieve greater integration of community based treatment and prevention services and expansion of resources within and across sectors.

Work of the Collaborative is just beginning. We would very much appreciate your input as Board members at this early stage. Will you please complete a brief survey by close of business Friday, October 5, by clicking on this link.

Responses to the survey are collected at the site anonymously. All PAB members are asked to respond, whether or not you will be able to attend the meeting. Your collective input is important to this project. Results of the survey will be reported at the PAB meeting next week.

Thank you in advance for your participation.

Mary Rolando

Anorexia: An Addiction Disorder?

New research from France investigates whether, at the neurochemical level, anorexia nervosa is similar to drug addiction.

PAB Meeting Set: 10/10/07

The next quarterly Project Advisory Board Meeting will be held Wed. 10 Oct 2007 at the Bureau of TennCare, the same location as July's meeting. The agenda includes an update from Mary Rolando on the substance abuse "collaborative," which Dr. Catron introduced at the last meeting, to review the availability and financing of services in the state. The meeting also includes presentations on NIATx from Jay Ford (University of Wisconsin-Madison and NIATx) and David Mathews (Kentucky River Community Care), a NIATx site.

New NIAAA Grant Opportunity

NIAA announced a new grant opportunity: Screening and Brief Alcohol Interventions in Underage and Young Adult Populations (R01).

Reducing Race/Ethnic Disparities

The Center for Health Care Strategies has a research brief outlining strategies for policy makers, government oversight officials, managed care firms, and providers for reducing health disparities for racial and ethnic minorities.

Among the strategies include performance measurement, contracting for health outcomes and disparities reductions, and culturally appropriate treatment and community outreach.

Updated Links for Internet Training

Registration is open for the first four courses in the New England ATTC Internet training courses.

Previously, the Chemical Dependency and PTSD course did not have the correct registration info; that link has been updated. For each announcement, scroll down to the bottom to find the specific link to secure registration.

Additional Meetings Added

NAMI Tennessee's State Convention will be in Nashville, 20-21 Sep 2007, at the Millenium Maxwell House. One track will cover school-based services. Details are available at: www.namitn.org.

The Mental Health Association of East Tennessee (and others) present the 10^th Fall Psychiatric Symposium 21 Sep 2007, at the Knoxville Convention Center. A pre-symposium will be held on 20 Sep 2007. Details available at: www.mhaet.com. CEUs available.

Note: You can view these and other upcoming events through the T-ACT calendar in the top right corner of the blog. You do not need to register with Yahoo! to view events, but you will if you want to add events on your own. Email Robert at tactblog@yahoo.com or his Vanderbilt address, robert.c.saunders(at)vanderbilt.edu, if you want to add an event or be able to add events yourself.

Calendar Information

The Yahoo!Calendar link at the top of the right-hand side of the blog takes you to T-ACT's schedule of upcoming conferences and trainings that may be of interest to those involved in the adolescent treatment system.

To learn more about particular events listed in the calendar, simply click on the item you wish to see. This will pull up additional information about the meeting, usually the location and a website or phone number to access the additional information. A limitation of the Yahoo!Calendar right now is that the web links within those pages cannot be activated; so, you will have to cut-and-paste the website information to your browser.

Internet-based Training

From Nancy Reed and Stephanie Shapiro:

Colleagues - FYI

The Addiction Technology Transfer Center of New England (ATTC/NE), funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), is offering online education courses, which can be viewed at: http://www.attc-ne.org/education/index.html.

Click on courses below for specific information:

1. Basic Group Counseling Skills* (August 20, 2007)
   *Waiting list only - 4 weeks, 8 CEUs
   
   
2. Engaging the Indigenous Healer in the Recovery Process: Spirituality in Some African-origin, Latino and Indian Communities (Course scheduled August 27, Registration deadline August 27, 2007)
   4 weeks, 8 CEUs
   
   
3. Introduction to Ethics: Managing Ethical Dilemmas and Risk- Management Issues (Course scheduled August 27, Registration deadline August 27, 2007)
   4 weeks, 8 CEUs
   
   
4. Chemical Dependency and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Course scheduled October 1, Registration opened August 13, 2007)
   4 weeks, 8 CEUs
   
   
5. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Course scheduled October 15, Registration opens August 27, 2007)
   5 weeks, 10 CEUs
   
   
6. Women and Chemical Dependency (Course scheduled November 5th, Registration opens September 17, 2007)
   4 weeks, 8 CEUs

FYI - The National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC) now has an exam for an adolescent specialist endorsement. Please check out the link below:
http://www.ptcny.com/clients/NCC/#Adolescent Specialist Endorsement Examination

Stephanie Shapiro, Ph.D; Stephanie.Shapiro@state.tn.us; 615-253-2714

Nancy. R. Reed, CMSW; Nancy.R.Reed@state.tn.us; 615-741-5714

DADAS Adolescent Advisory Meeting

The August edition of DADAS's adolescent advisory meeting (Herb Stone's group) met 08 August 2007. The meeting discussed the timing of changes at the division as it is reintegrated into TDMHDD, updates on SJR799, and T-ACT's project, including the services review being led by Mary Rolando at GOCCC.

Craig Anne Heflinger had submitted an article, about defining the comprehensiveness of services for a provider organization, for the group to discuss. In discussing the article, Mary Rolando mentioned an article about re-envisioning the child health service delivery system that she thought might be of interest to participants. I agreed to post them to our archive for the PAB's (and others') benefit.

Handouts from 26 July 2007 PAB Meeting

The presentation by Dr. Deboarh Garnick and Tracy Leeper at the most recent Project Advisory Board meeting and the measurement specifications and background articles that were distributed are posted to the T-ACT archive.

Link Updates

The Office of Co-Occurring Disorders in TDMHDD has been added to the list of TN Govt links to your right. I've also updated links and naming for the Bureau (now Division) of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services.

MJ and Psychosis: Link for Latest in AOD Research

You may link directly to NewScientist.com, a source for recent posts regarding drug and alcohol research, for brief summaries of recent academic research.

Currently featured is a Lancet report that links marijuana use to psychosis later in life:

Moore TH, Zammit S, Lingford-Hughes A, Barnes TR, Jones PB, Burke M, Lewis G. (28 July 2007). Cannabis use and risk of psychotic or affective mental health outcomes: a systematic review. The Lancet, 370(9584): 319-328.

I will try to link to a non-gated version of the article, or at least its abstract, when it goes online this weeekend.

Update: Article posted.

All the Young Mice

Australian researchers examined differential reactions to THC in adolescent and adult mice. Adult mice, unlike their younger cohorts, over time avoided the area of their habitat in which they would receive injections, which the researchers interpreted as a sign of distaste for the drug. Also, autopsies on the mice brains indicated greater damage to the regions associated with short-term memory compared with adults.

Teens in AA

The Washington Post ran a feature on teens in a DC-area Alcoholics Anonymous group who were systematically subjected to sexual and financial predation by their sponsors and others in the group.

Whatever the merits of the allegations in this specific case, the story suggests several questions that may be relevant for the adolescent treatment system in Tennessee:

1. Under what circumstances is it appropriate for teens to participate in Alcoholics Anonymous programs with adults?
   
   
2. What are the ethical obligations and legal liabilities of treatment professionals if they recommend a teen participate in AA and the group turns out to be abusive in the ways described in this article?
   
   
3. Given that the national AA program does not manage or supervise chapters in any meaningful way, does this influence the level of "due diligence" that providers, case managers, or others must demonstrate before connecting youth to AA? Surely addictions professionals or service managers cannot fall back on, "Hey, we just said they had to go to AA, we didn't tell the youth which AA group to attend." Can they?

Commonwealth Fund Newsletter: Quality and Payment

The current issue of the Commonwealth Fund's "Quality Matters" newsletter discusses ways to link quality of care to physician payments. You may want to look at a couple of the options presented and think about how they might apply to adolescent substance abuse services.

Linking Families to Services

The Commonwealth Fund has developed a document to help states develop linkages between families and state resources. Based upon the Help Me Grow program in Connecticut, the document outlines the steps for building partnerships to between agencies, providers, and families to ensure connections and evaluate the success of those efforts. Help Me Grow focuses specifically on younger children and the developmental and behavioral problems, but the process likely generalizes to other age groups and problems, such as adolescents with substance use problems.

Quality Improvement in Medicaid Health Plans

The Commonwealth Fund released its review of Denver Health, a managed care Medicaid health insurance plan in Denver, Col. The focus is on the aspects of quality improvement initiated by the plan to improve:

• no-show rates,
  
• patient- and family-centered care,
  
• culturally sensitive care, and
  
• costs of treatment.

Although the focus is on medical practices, information on how Denver Health has implemented the "Toyota model" of lean manufacturing for quality, efficiency, and cost improvement may benefit Tennessee provdiers, plans, and consumers.

PAB Meeting 7/26

This quarter's Project Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for 10:00-2:00 Thursday 26 July 2007 at the Bureau of TennCare complex in Metro Center, Nashville. Below is some background on the main topic to be presented; we are inviting additional folks from the state agencies and other groups to attend. Below is that invitation:

We would like to invite you to attend a presentation on the Washington Circle performance measurement system for substance abuse services at the next T-ACT project advisory board meeting, 26 July 2007, at the Bureau of TennCare.

The panel should be of interest to:

• state agency policy experts interested in data-based policy planning and measuring quality of care in the service delivery system using existing data collected by the state;
  
• state agency data experts interested in developing methods to convert existing data into planning information;
  
• executive directors and administrators of provider agencies interested in demonstrating the effectiveness of their treatment services to policy makers and payors;
  
• insurance and managed care companies that are interested in assuring value in the services they purchase on behalf of their consumers.

Below is some background information about the Washington Circle program, the speakers, and the content of their presentation.

We very much hope that you will be able to attend.

Sincerely,

The T-ACT Team


Fast, Cheap and Under Control: Quality Improvement Using the Washington Circle Performance Measurement System
Washington Circle is an initiative sponsored by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) that has developed process quality measures for substance abuse services using administrative databases. The group is comprised of representatives from state and federal government, universities, and private sector groups. Examples of measures include: rates of identification of substance use disorders, rates of treatment initiation, and rates of treatment engagement. Besides developing the measures, the group has made public its decision rules and procedures for calculating the measures so that other states may participate, for both adult and adolescent populations.

Their work in the private sector resulted in several measures being adopted by NCQA (National Committee on Quality Assurance) into its HEDIS performance measurement system, standards to which TennCare has determined the new middle-Tennessee MCOs must adhere. The group has worked recently to adapt these measures for clients served in the public sector but outside of traditional insurance, in particular, SAPT block grant funded services. Among the states presently participating are: Oklahoma, Delaware, North Carolina, Washington, New York, Arizona, Connecticut, and Los Angeles County.

The state of Oklahoma has been a leader in implementing this performance measurement system. They have calculated these measures using existing administrative data and are reporting the data publicly and to contracted providers. In working with Brandeis University, which is the lead university in the Washington Circle program, they have demonstrated that clients who are more engaged in treatment (as measured by Washington Circle) also tend to have less future involvement in the criminal justice system. In fact, it was Oklahoma's success in implementing these performance measures that resulted in their Commissioner, Terry Cline, being appointed administrator of SAMHSA in 2006.

We've invited Dr. Deborah Garnick (Brandeis University) and Tracy Leeper (State of Oklahoma) to speak about the Washington Circle performance measurement program. Dr. Garnick will speak about the Washington Circle measurement system and how it fits in a process of quality monitoring and system improvement. She will also describe how these measures fit with other SAMHSA initiatives like the National Outcomes Measures (NOMs). Ms. Leeper will speak about how Oklahoma has implemented these measures, including issues involved in developing organizational support for calculating the measures and working with treatment providers to ensure acceptability to addiction professionals. They will also present information about Oklahoma's system and how it is performing.

Bios
Deborah Garnick is a Professor in the Institute for Behavioral Health at The Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University and Associate Dean, Academic Personnel. She received her doctorate in health services research from Johns Hopkins University. Currently, Dr. Garnick leads the Brandeis team in a collaboration with RTI focused on technical development of the National Outcome Measures (NOMs) for behavioral health in a project funded by the SAMHSA. She has led NIH-funded studies focused on exploring the association between substance performance measures and outcomes. She serves as is the Co-Principal Investigator on studies that involve tracking of drug and alcohol abuse services and mental health services provided by the managed behavioral health care industry. In addition, she is a member of the Washington Circle Policy Group and leads their workgroup on public sector performance measures for substance abuse. Dr. Garnick often serves as an expert consultant, most recently as a member of the National Quality Forum’s Substance Use Disorders and Evidence Based-Practices Technical Advisory Panel. Dr. Garnick has published widely the topics of injuries among Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, state-level health insurance reform legislation, quality of hospital and ambulatory care, methods of using data collected for administrative purposes for health services research, and performance measures for substance abuse.

Tracy Leeper has worked for the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (ODMHSAS) for the last fifteen years in the Decision Support Services Division, conducting data analysis, performance monitoring and program evaluation. She has served as manager of all of the Department's data system and performance indicator grant projects for the last nine years. She is a member of the Governing Board's Performance Improvement Committee, serves as the chair for the State's Interagency Behavioral Performance and Outcome Monitoring Workgroup involving eight state agencies, is a member or the Department's Institutional Review Board and serves as the Chair for the Southern States Mental Health Statistics Improvement Program User Group. Ms. Leeper has also served as an ATR consultant, providing technical assistance to the California ATR team on compiling and reporting project outcomes.

New Calendar Function

A calendar has been added on the right-hand panel. This calendar is to promote upcoming conferences, events, and trainings related to the T-ACT project or adolescent substance abuse treatment generally.

By clicking on the calendar, anybody may view upcoming events. To add an event for the first time, you must:

1. obtain a Yahoo! ID;
   
2. email that Yahoo! ID to tactblog@yahoo.com asking Robert Saunders to add you as an approved person to edit the calendar;
   
3. go to the calendar page--calendar.yahoo.com/tactblog--and sign in to Yahoo!.

Once you have completed these steps, you should be able to add an event.

Interview with NIDA Director

NIDA Director Nora Volkow discussed the neurobiology of addiction on the NPR program, Fresh Air, today.

Another Upcoming Conference: Health Summit of Minority Communities

From Nancy Reed:
12th Annual Health Summit of Minority Communities
Reclaiming a Legacy of Healthy Communities: The Time is Now
Sheraton Music City Hotel
22-24 August 2007
Contact: Carlice Knox
615.741.9443
1.877.606.0089

From the TDH website:

The Minority Health Summit is an annual conference sponsored by the Office of Minority Health in collaboration with the Black Caucus of State Legislators and the Tennessee Black Health Care Commission. It provides a forum for professionals—state and national—and other interested citizens to exchange ideas and dialogue with one another on matters that pertain to minority health.

Issues concerning new technologies, prevention strategies, policy making and managed care are among the topics discussed. Individuals identified as active in their professional arena and known for their leadership on relevant health care subjects are invited as presenters. The annual conference occurs in the late summer of each year.

From PAB member Frances Clark, via Nancy Reed:
TAADAC is co-sponsoring the Journey Together Conference 2007 5-8 September 2007 at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. The link contains a conference brochure, registration information, exhibitor information, hotel rates, and information about the different sessions.

The Journey Together conference will be featuring speakers who
will be presenting on many topic areas. Featured topics include:

• Adolescents
• Special Populations
• Treatment Skills/Issues
• Workforce Development

From Nancy Reed:

Thursday 19 July 2007, TAMHO is sponsoring a plenary session (8:30 - 2:30) at the Sheraton Music City Hotel. Topics of interest will include:

• Commissioner's Update - New Legislation, FY2007-08 Budget, Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services
  
• Senate Joint Resolution 799 - A study of the Children's Mental Health System in Tennessee
  
• Proposed Social Work Licensure Law Amendments
  
• Opportunities for Behavioral Health Interface with Pediatric Practices - Models for Collaboration.

Please click on this link for more information.

Job Announcement: DADAS

TDMHDD issued a job announcement (pdf, doc) for the position of Assitant Commissioner to serve as director of the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services. This follows on the transition of the divison from TDH to TDMHDD and the departure of Dr. Stephanie Perry from the position. Note: This is an Executive Services position.

Gene Therapy for Alcoholism?

A new study suggests gene therapy can help curb alcoholism by manipulating a gene responsible for the metabolism of alcohol:

Aldehyde dehydrogenase is blocked by the drug disulfiram, also known as Antabuse, which is sometimes used to help alcoholics quit the habit. "But you have to take it every day, so there is a big problem with compliance," says Amalia Sapag at the University of Chile in Santiago.

To provide a longer-lasting effect, Sapag's team engineered adenoviruses to carry an "antisense" version of the aldehyde dehydrogenase gene. This produces RNA that binds to the original gene's messenger RNA, blocking enzyme production.

A single injection of viruses reduced the enzyme's activity in rats' livers by 80 per cent, Sapag revealed at the American Society of Gene Therapy meeting in Seattle earlier this month.

RWJF Funding Opportunity

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has a call for proposals out in its Advancing Recovery program. For once, the deadline is reasonably far in advance: 16 Aug 2007.

The Call for Proposals (CFP) for the second round of Advancing Recovery was released on June 7, 2007. Click here to view the CFP.

Full Proposals must be submitted online at http://grantmaking.rwjf.org/advancingrecovery by 3 p.m. (central time) on August 16, 2007. Additionally, ONE (1)^† hard copy of the full proposal, including supporting documents (please see FAQs), must be mailed to the National Program Office, postmarked by August 20, 2007.

Advancing Recovery grants will be awarded on February 1, 2008 to up to six payer-provider partnerships. Grants will run until January 31, 2010.

Informational calls will take place on June 28, July 11, and July 30 from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. CDT (2:00 to 3:30 p.m. EDT). If you are interested in learning more about Advancing Recovery and the application process please join us on:

Dial in: 1-877-326-0011
Passcode: *6185935* (include the asterisks)
Please contact the national program office with questions.

^†The CFP states that six (6) copies of the full proposal be submitted in hard copy to the NPO. This is incorrect. Please send only ONE (1) hard copy of your full proposal to the NPO.

From advancingrecovery.net.

Strategic Financing Plans

Stephanie Shapiro, Nancy Reed, and Robert Saunders participated in the national technical assistance call regarding the development and implementation of state strategic financing plans mentioned previously.

We have posted the 3 presentations on the T-ACT archives. You can download them separately or as one zipped file. Below is a brief summary:

• Mary Armstrong, Georgetown University: presented information on a national study she is conducting that identifies the different strategies used by states to modify organizational and financing arrangements to implement systems of care.
  
• Beth Baxter & Dave Hoyt, Kearney, Neb.: presented information on the implementation within a 22-county area of south central Nebraska, including the role of a family advocacy organization in supporting services and evaluation activities.
  
• David Cygan, Nebraska Health and Human Services System: presented information on how the state worked with Medicaid, child welfare, and block grant systems to finance systems of care.

Among the interesting things to note for Tennessee:

1. Magellan operates in Nebraska and was involved in their process.
   
2. The state permitted reimbursement for screenings for mental health and substance abuse problems through its EPSDT program.
   
3. Participants emphasized the importance of having an accurate accounting of what services are provided through what funding streams in order to know the full implications of any changes to the system.
   
4. They also stressed the importance of starting with a clearly defined target population. For example, one might want to target youth transferred out-of-state, a traditionally expensive treatment option. A broader population will work so long as all the stakeholders agree on the definition and the importance of the addressing their needs.

Evidence-based Practice and Underserved Populations

This link takes you to the Summer 2007 issue of Focal Point. This issue compiles articles produced by Portland State University on evidence-based practices and underserved populations. You can download the entire issue at the first link on the page or each individual article. It has a little more focus on mental health than substance abuse, but that may be especially useful for those with clients dealing with co-occurring disorders.

Grant Opportunity

I just received notice of the following grant opportunity related to youth employment. This may be of interest to groups working to build employment skills of youth with substance use problems. This link contains the synopsis and full announcement. Below is the synopsis:

The synopsis for this grant opportunity is detailed below, following this paragraph. This synopsis contains all of the updates to this document that have been posted as of 04/26/2007. If updates have been made to the opportunity synopsis, update information is provided below the synopsis.

If you would like to receive notifications of changes to the grant opportunity click send me change notification emails. The only thing you need to provide for this service is your email address. No other information is requested.

Any inconsistency between the original printed document and the disk or electronic document shall be resolved by giving precedence to the printed document.

Description of Modification

There has been an amendment to this SGA. Please see Revised Full Announcement 2 for the amendment.

Document Type: Modification to Previous Grants Notice
Funding Opportunity Number: SGA-DFA-PY-06-08
Opportunity Category: Discretionary
Posted Date: Apr 26, 2007
Creation Date: Jun 13, 2007
Original Closing Date for Applications: Jul 03, 2007

Applications must be successfully submitted through Grants.gov no later than 5 p.m. (Eastern Time). Applications will only be accepted through the Grants.gov application system. Applications that do not meet the conditions set forth in this notice will not be considered. No exceptions to the submission requirements set forth in this notice will be granted. For detailed guidance, please refer to Section IV.C.

Current Closing Date for Applications: Jul 03, 2007 Applications must be successfully submitted through Grants.gov no later than 5 p.m. (Eastern Time). Applications will only be accepted through the Grants.gov application system. Applications that do not meet the conditions set forth in this notice will not be considered. No exceptions to the submission requirements set forth in this notice will be granted. For detailed guidance, please refer to Section IV.C.

Archive Date: Aug 02, 2007
Funding Instrument Type: Grant
Category of Funding Activity: Employment, Labor and Training

Category Explanation:
Expected Number of Awards: 100
Estimated Total Program Funding: $47,000,000
Award Ceiling: $1,100,000
Award Floor: $700,000
CFDA Number: 17.274 -- YouthBuild

Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: Yes

Eligible Applicants: Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

Additional Information on Eligibility:
• community-based organizations;
• faith-based organizations;
• an entity carrying out activities under this WIA, such as a local workforce investment board or One-Stop Career Center;
• a community action agency;
• a state or local housing development agency;
• an Indian tribe or other agency primarily serving Indians;
• a community development corporation;
• a state or local youth service conservation corps; or
• any other relevant public or private non-profit entity that provides education or employment training and can meet the required elements of the grant.

Agency Name Employment and Training Administration

Description

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA) announces the availability of approximately $47 million in grant funds for YouthBuild Grants.YouthBuild is a youth and community development program that simultaneously addresses several core issues facing low-income communities: housing, education, employment, crime prevention, and leadership development. Grant funds will be used to provide disadvantaged youth with: the education and employment skills necessary to achieve economic self-sufficiency in occupations in high demand and postsecondary education and training opportunities; opportunities for meaningful work and service to their communities; and opportunities to develop employment and leadership skills and a commitment to community development among youth in low-income communities. As part of their programming, YouthBuild grantees will tap the energies and talents of disadvantaged youth to increase the supply of permanent affordable housing for homeless individuals and low-income families and to help youth develop the leadership, learning, and high-demand occupational skills needed to succeed in today’s global economy.

Link to Full Announcement
YouthBuild Grants

If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact:
Donna Kelly
Grants Management Specialist
Phone 2026933934 Donna Kelly

Tennessee Prevention Congress Program Available

TAMHO announced a preliminary program and registration information for the Tennessee Prevention Congress are available online. The conference is 20-22 August 2007 at Montgomery Bell State Park.

TA Conference Call on State Strategic Financing Plans

Below is an email from SAMHSA announcing a conference call to gain technical assistance in developing and adapting financing plans for adolescent substance abuse services:

Dear Colleague:

We invite you to sign up and participate in the continuation of our 2007 national topical telephone conference call series. The National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health is sponsoring this exciting and well-received monthly series of topical calls. The conference calls cover important and emerging trends in the mental health field. Presentations from expert resource persons are followed by open discussion in order for all participants to ask questions and enrich the conversation. We hope you will share this educational opportunity with others so that they may participate as well.

Please visit our website for registration information and the full 2007 Calendar of Calls. The next call in this series will be Thursday, June 21, at 1:00 p.m., ET on “How States are Developing Strategic Financing Plans”. PowerPoint presentations and reading materials for each call will be posted on the website and can be viewed while listening to the calls.

All information about the national conference call series can be found on our website, including announcements, registration forms, handouts, and evaluation forms. There is no registration fee for these calls. The only cost that you will incur will be the long-distance phone charges. You should register for each call at our website so that we know how many lines to set up and how to structure the call to meet your needs. If you have any trouble accessing our website, please call or e-mail MelKisha Knight at (202) 687-5000 so that we can arrange to mail or fax you the information.

Should you have any questions about the telephone conference series, please contact Marisa Irvine, Conference Call Coordinator by e-mail at marisairvine13@hotmail.com

We hope that you and other individuals in your state, tribe, territory, and community will find these calls useful. We look forward to your participation and feedback.

Workforce Development

SAMHSA has sponsored a project on workforce development, the Annapolis Coalition, that has resulted in the action plan described below:

Action Plan for Behavioral Health Workforce Development
Describes a broad, national workforce development plan for the behavioral health workforce. Covers workforce issues relevant to persons with mental health conditions, substance abuse or substance use disorders, and co-occurring mental and addictive conditions. Includes a chapter focused on rural behavioral health workforce issues. document (1.8MB)

CADCAT and Addiction

CADCAT has funding available to sponsor local screenings of the HBO and RWJF program Addiction.

Through the funding provided to CADCAT from CADCA, Reckitt Benckiser, and Cephalon we are able to make available stipends of up to $250 to coalitions interested in hosting “Town Hall” meetings focused on the HBO special, “Addiction.”

As long as funds last, CADCAT will make them available on a first come, first served basis, based on an application which includes the following information:

Event(s) budget
Location(s)
Time and date(s)
Who will lead the event(s)
How many people will be invited
Plans for publicity

Follow-up (evaluations from attendees, increased capacity-building due to the networking at the event, etc.)

(Your plan may either be a single event or multiple meetings.)

Individual organizations are not eligible for these funds. If your organization is a sector-member of a coalition, the coalition may apply for a maximum of $250.

To apply for a stipend for your coalition, please send this information to me by either mail or email.

Regards,

Pam

Pam White, Executive Director
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions Across Tennessee (CADCAT)
1120 Dickerson Pike
Nashville, TN 37207
pwhite@cadcat.org

Grant Opportunity

The Department of Labor has funding available for employment and education for adolescents through its YouthBuild program (award range: $700,000-$1,000,000).

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Employment and Training Administration (ETA) announces the availability of approximately $47 million in grant funds for YouthBuild Grants. YouthBuild is a youth and community development program that simultaneously addresses several core issues facing low-income communities: housing, education, employment, crime prevention, and leadership development. Grant funds will be used to provide disadvantaged youth with: the education and employment skills necessary to achieve economic self-sufficiency in occupations in high demand and postsecondary education and training opportunities; opportunities for meaningful work and service to their communities; and opportunities to develop employment and leadership skills and a commitment to community development among youth in low-income communities. As part of their programming, YouthBuild grantees will tap the energies and talents of disadvantaged youth to increase the supply of permanent affordable housing for homeless individuals and low-income families and to help youth develop the leadership, learning, and high-demand occupational skills needed to succeed in today’s global economy.

The due date 03 July 2007. The grant summary page is here; the full grant announcement is here.

Scholarships for Training in MET/CBT5

The T-ACT project is sponsoring scholarships for providers interested in learning the MET/CBT5, an evidence-based method providing combinations of motivational enhancement therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy in 5 sessions to adolescents. Here is Nancy's email:

Everyone,

The T-ACT project, through funding from SAMHSA, is providing free training in evidence-based practices to providers of adolescent substance abuse services.

The T-ACT project has scheduled 2.5 days of MET/CBT5 training on June 4-6, 2007 in Nashville, TN. MET/CBT5 corresponds to two individual sessions of Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) combined with three group sessions of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

The T-ACT project will be awarding 30 scholarships to attend this training. In addition, we will be awarding scholarships for MET/CBT5 certification and to become local Tennessee MET/CBT5 trainers.

If you are interested in participating in the MET/CBT5 training, please click on this link (or copy this link to your browser: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=378033844994) and fill out a brief ten item application. The survey must be completed electronically and returned by 5 PM on Wednesday, May 23, 2007. Also forward this survey to others who may be interested. We would like statewide representation. Travel awards are not available for this training.

Thanks all!

Nancy

Please note the following:

• to apply, you must complete the survey above;
  
• you must complete it by 5 pm CT on 23 May;
  
• the scholarship only covers the training element, not travel; and,
  
• additional details are contained in the introduction to the survey, which you can see after clicking the link.

PAB Meeting Set for 2 May 2007

The next project advisory board meeting will be Wed 2 May 2007 at the Nashville Downtown Public Library (same location as for January's meeting).

Correction! (posted 4/30/2007): The location is at the Tennessee Towers, 312 8^th Ave N. The time is 10:00-2:00 CT, on the 3^rd floor. Sorry for the confusion.

Survey of Adolescent Treatments in Tennessee

This link takes you to a survey intended for providers of substance abuse services for adolescents. The goal is to learn information about the types of treatment currently in use in Tennessee. This will provide important background information for the May 2 project advisory board meeting, which focuses on evidence-based treatment programs.

Targeted Capacity Expansion Grant Announcement

SAMHSA announced $8m worth of funds for up to 16 sites over three years to fund expansions of substance abuse services for adolescents. Any organization may apply, not just the state; however, they want a letter of support from the relevant agencies. The due date is 25 May 2007.

The project targets four main groups:

1. Native American/Alaska Native and Asian American/Pacific Islander Populations: To meet the disproportionate substance abuse treatment needs of certain native communities, this category specifically identifies American Indian/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) and Asian American/Pacific Islanders (AA/PI), including Native Hawaiians, as native populations to receive expanded and/or enhanced treatment services under this program.
   
2. E-therapy: This category provides funding for expanding and/or enhancing substance abuse treatment through the use of technology to reduce barriers of distance, disabilities, and social stigma and provides treatment opportunities to those who do not have access to, or are reluctant to access, substance abuse treatment services (See Appendix M - Glossary, in the RFA).
   
3. Grassroots Partnerships: This category supports applicants who propose to enhance/expand recovery-oriented systems of care involving small, grassroots organizations (see Appendix M - Glossary, in the RFA).
   
4. Other Populations or Emerging Substance Abuse Issues: This category allows applicants to propose a project for an unmet substance abuse treatment need in a specific target population (e.g., pregnant and post-partum women, HIV/AIDS, adolescents) or focus area (e.g., methamphetamine, alcohol, marijuana) in their community.

Tennessee Prevention Conference Scheduled

The Tennessee Prevention Conference is scheduled for August 20-22, 2007 at Montgomery Bell State Park. Details on the conference agenda will be posted as they become available.

Executive Order 44

This is a link to the executive order transferring the Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services from the Department of Health to the Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities. The transferred unit will become the Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services (DADAS).

TCSW Presentations

GOCCC hosted a session at the Tennessee Conference on Social Welfare (TCSW) on 03 April 2007. A standing-room only crowd listened to information about the T-ACT project and its goals in the area of co-occurring disorders from Dr. Tom Catron, information on the adolescent service delivery system and data on adolescent services from Robert Saunders, and a "how to" on advocacy and increasing parent and family involvement by invited speaker Sharon Smith of MOMSTELL.org. Their presentations are available at the archive. You may download them individually, or as a single zipped file (about 3MB).

Yes2Kids Conference Presentations: Update

The John Challis presentation on co-occurring disorders from the Yes2Kids conference is now available, as well as a zip file with all 3 presentations sponsored by GOCCC.

Treatment Program Cost Analysis

Michael French, an economist at the University of Miami, and his colleagues have developed a cost-assessment tool, DATCAP, for substance abuse treatment programs. Their tools help to identify the different types of costs associated with running a program and their relative contribution to treatment costs. Here is an excerpt from this longer description:

The Drug Abuse Treatment Cost Analysis Program (DATCAP) is a cost data collection instrument and interview guide designed to be used in a variety of medical treatment and social service settings. The instrument is intended to collect and organize detailed information on resources used in service delivery and their associated dollar cost. Resource categories include personnel, supplies and materials, contracted services, buildings and facilities, equipment, and miscellaneous items. The instrument also collects information on program revenues and client caseflows. The DATCAP instruments are available for download in four separate versions, each available in a choice of Acrobat PDF and Microsoft Excel formats. The PDF-format is intended to view or print the instrument; the Microsoft Excel (XLS) format is a spreadsheet intended for data entry and results analysis.

This is a paper reporting the cost estimates for 85 different treatment programs, including details on how the data were collected. Data on some adolescent programs are included. For additional information on the project or to have their project help analyze your program, follow this link.

Data Integration Talk

Below is information on an upcoming presentation in Nashville being organized through Meharry Medical College. (Note: I will check to see whether this is open to anybody, or if it is by invitation only.)

Establishing and Maintaining a Community Data Repository
Thursday, 19 April 2007
11:30am – 3:00pm (Lunch provided)
Frist Center for the Visual Arts
901 Broadway
Nashville, TN

The speakers are:

• Phyllis Betts, Ph.D.
  Founder and Director
  Center for Community Building and Neighborhood Action and Info Works
  University of Memphis
  
  
• Richard Janikowski, JD
  Founder and Director
  Shared Urban Data System
  University of Memphis

For more information or to RSVP: Jackie Estill, jestill@mmc.edu, 615-327-5831.

Yes2Kids Conference Presentations

Two of the three T-ACT sponsored presentations from the Yes2Kids conference are available in the archives:

• Andy Finch's on recovery schools, and
• Rob Vincent's on the True North project in Washington State.

Once I have the third presentation, I will post it along with a zip file that contains all three presentations.

Update:The John Challis presentation on co-occurring disorders is now available, as well as a zip file with all 3 presentations sponsored by GOCCC.

Reclaiming Futures Expansion

RWJF is expanding its Reclaiming Futures program for teens in the justices sytem with substance abuse problems. From the news release at CADCA:

The RWJF board approved $6.5 million to support the 10 pilot sites for two more years and to help additional new sites implement the Reclaiming Futures model over the next four years. The expanded effort also will create a national resource center to provide data, case studies and other information to even more communities seeking to improve drug and alcohol services for justice-involved youth.

...

The Reclaiming Futures model combines system reform, treatment improvement and community engagement to help teens in the justice system get off drugs and alcohol. Teens who enter the justice system with serious drug and alcohol problems rarely receive treatment, even though research shows that young people who use drugs and alcohol are more likely to end up in trouble with the law, behave violently, or drop out of school.

Key elements of the Reclaiming Futures model include screening and assessing teens for drug and alcohol problems; assembling a team to develop a personal care plan; training drug and alcohol treatment providers in evidence-based practices that work with teens; providing family support; and involving community members as mentors and role models to provide the support teens need.

Beginning in 2002, 10 communities helped create and test the Reclaiming Futures model: Anchorage, Alaska.; Santa Cruz, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; four counties in Southeastern Kentucky; Marquette, Mich.; the state of New Hampshire; the Sovereign Tribal Nation of Sicangu Lakota in Rosebud, South Dakota; Dayton, Ohio; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle, Wash.

NIDA's Science of Addiction

NIDA has published a consumer publication titled, "Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction."

The report is part of a larger media effort to reduce stigma and increase understanding of addictive disorders, including an HBO documentary, "Addiction," scheduled to air on HBO at 9:00 ET 15 March 2007. The documentary is funded by RWJF, NIDA, and NIAAA.

Note: For those attending JMATE in April, the documentary will be screened on the first day of the conference.

COCE Monthly Review

SAMHSA's Co-Occurring Center for Excellence (COCE) has released its current issue of COD Research and Resources Monthly Review (v2,n2).

Consumer-Driven Health Purchasing

From State Health Watch (v14,n1)...HSR: Health Servies Research is publishing a special issue (February 2007 - Vol. 42 Issue 1,pt2, pp.353-586--the link may only connect for individual or institutional subscribers) devoted to the Cash & Counseling Medicaid demonstration program. The demonstration started in FL, NJ, and AR, and it has since expanded to 12 other states.

Targeted primarily at long-term care (i.e., nursing facilities) and home and community based services (HCBS) available through Medicaid, the program awards funds to Medicaid recipients to be used to purchase personal care or assistive services, instead of relying upon direct funding to home care agencies. Briefly, the program led to somewhat increased program costs because consumers randomly assigned to the demonstration connected themselves to more support services and these additional services identified greater health care needs than had been addressed, whereas individuals in the usual care condition were less likely to receive care at all. The demonstration also helped individuals in areas with a labor shortage to obtain support services more easily than those in usual care.

HCBS is a Medicaid funding option in other states that may allow substitution of outpatient services for residential substance abuse treatment or enhancement of residential treatment with community support services. What opportunities might there be for adolescents and their families to use this model? What capacity is there for Tennessee to implement such a model? What are the costs and benefits of such a change?

Update: For those interested in obtaining copies of the HSR articles, email me and I will try to connect you to them.

Telehealth Audioconference

I just received an email announcing this audioconference on telehealth:

With health care costs rising—especially for patients in isolated areas or with chronic conditions—telehealth presents itself as an opportunity for patients, practitioners, and payers to reduce health care costs and improve quality. But many are not convinced, despite the possible benefits. Join us on March 15 at 1:00 pm ET as our panel of distinguished speakers will explore the challenge and opportunities in health technology, including reimbursement, regulatory concerns, and the actual nuts-and-bolts of providing care.

Attend this audio conference and explore:

• Benefits and services offered by telehealth networks
  
• What effect telehealth has on outcomes
  
• Cost and reimbursement issues of telehealth
  
• Legal and regulatory issues inherent in the offering of telehealth services

Don't miss this important educational opportunity—register today for this audio conference. All registered attendees will receive an email the day before the audio conference with instructions on how to access this event, and the special access website that contains an agenda and the speaker presentations.

Rural Telehealth

From State Health Watch (v14,n1)....The Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center (N.C.) received $360,000 to implement a telehealth intervention over the next three years. WebVMC's (Virtual Medical Care) RemoteNurse provides a method for doctors to monitor patients' vital signs and other risk factors related to obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. The RemoteNurse device has been installed in senior centers, churches, middle schools, and some patients' homes. There is no direct cost to the patient. Details on RemoteNurse are available at www.webvmc.com.

Are folks aware of similar telehealth interventions for substance abuse (or mental health) treatment, either generally or in Tennessee? Are there ways to apply a similar tool for adolescent substance abuse care? Could it be used in schools or jails as a means to monitor medication compliance and/or complications? Could it be used to monitor abstinence, directly or indirectly?

Satisfied Addicts Underestimate Their Cravings

A forthcoming article in the Journal of Health Economics, summarized here, describes a study in which heroin addicts were asked to rate how much money they would accept in lieu of a next dose. Addicts who had just received a dose severely underestimated their cravings relative to addicts who were asked the question before receiving the dose. Researchers suggest the inability to estimate their future cravings could play a role in the decision to use addictive drugs in the first place.

The study used a small sample of adults, but the results are consistent with somewhat similar research on teens:

Prior research has not addressed this issue directly. There is some research showing that young cigarette smokers significantly underestimate their own risk of becoming addicted (Slovic, 2001). For example, one study found that only 15% of high school students who smoked less than one cigarette per day predicted they might be smoking in 5 years when in fact 43% were still smoking 5 years later (Johnston et al., 1993). And, among high-school seniors who smoke, 56% predicted that they would not be smoking 5 years later, but only 30% had in fact quit at that point (Department of Health and Humans Services; cited in Gruber, 2001). However, there are many reasons why smokers may mispredict their own future behavior other than that they underestimated the impact of drug craving.

SA Prevention Info

CSAP sponsors five regional centers for the application of prevention technologies across the U.S. They include some information on evidence-based prevention activities and other information about prevention programs and resources.

ISATE Reports

The University of Memphis conducts a variety of data collection activities on behalf of BADAS and reports on individuals who use bureau funded services through its Institute for Substance Abuse Treatment Evaluation (ISATE). [Ed.: ISATE is the new name for the center that may be more familiar to some as Tennessee Outcomes for Alcohol and Drug Services (TOADS).] A listing of reports is available here.

Substance Abuse and Child Welfare

SAMHSA is partnering with the Agency for Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF) to sponsor a National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW). The mission:

"to improve systems and practice for families with substance use disorders who are involved in the child welfare and family judicial systems by assisting local, State and tribal agencies."

The site contains a variety of useful information about substance abuse and issues related to child maltreatment, interface between the substance abuse and child welfare systems, and technical assistance for those interested.

TCCY's Children's Advocacy Days

TCCY's Children's Advocacy Days '07 will be hosted 13-14 March 2007 in Nashville at Memorial Auditorium. The goal of CAD:

Many children born during 2007 should graduate from high school in 2025. Therefore, the theme of Children’s Advocacy Days 2007 is “Class of 2025: Looking Forward to a New Future.” Tennessee Children’s Advocacy Days 2007 will provide a forum for those working with, and on behalf of, children and families across the state to gain new information that will facilitate their efforts to improve the health and well-being of children and families in their communities. The conference, through key speakers and networking, is intended to:

• Promote greater knowledge and understanding of current issues confronting children and their families in Tennessee.
  
• Provide an opportunity for participants to become more effective advocates for children both in the public policy arena and in their communities.
  
• Provide an opportunity for participants to interact with Tennessee legislators on critical children’s issues.
  
• Provide an opportunity to hear perspectives on children’s issues and financing children’s services.

Click here for more info.

Vanderbilt Meth Forum

Vanderbilt University will be hosting a forum, "Meth Rescue: Meth’s Effects on Children, Families and the Foster Care System," on 24-27 Apr. 2007. The program is intended to help educate members of the media about methamphetamine abuse, treatment, and policy issues. Speakers include PAB members Michelle Crowley and Craig Anne Heflinger. View the Vanderbilt news release here.

Update: The conference is in April, not February as previously posted.

Cultural Competence & Disparities

This report by the National Initiative for Children's Healthcare Quality (NICHQ) includes some information about how to incorporate cultural competence into a health care organization. One of the premises of the report is that health disparities reflect quality disparities, so efforts to build cultural competence into an organization's quality improvement activities may reduce disparities.

PAB Annual Survey

In December 2005, the evaluation team circulated a two-page survey that asked about PAB members' priorities concerning coordination of treatment and what they perceived as the strengths they could contribute and barriers to coordination. We would like for you to complete this again for the current project year so that we may see how these ratings have changed over time. You may download the survey here (pdf) (or in Word format here), and you may fax it anonymously to Barbara and Nancy at 615-741-5719 or Robert at 615-322-1141. Please complete these before 2/14/2007 so that the results may be included in the projects semi-annual report to SAMHSA, which is due 3/1/2007. You may also email or mail the completed survey if you desire. Note: New board members should complete the survey, even if they did not complete the first survey in December 2005/January 2006.

Also, as part of the 1-on-1 interviews for the first year evaluation, I distributed copies of a longer survey, the Assessing Local Service Systems instrument. I did not include results of this in the preliminary evaluation results because so few responded. In the event you misplaced this instrument, you may download the form here and submit it by fax to Robert at 615-322-1141 or by mail to:

Robert Saunders
Box 90 GPC
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN 37203

Please complete these before 2/21/2007 so that the results may be included in the final first year evaluation report.

NIATx Training

NIATx is sponsoring a training session 23-25 April 2007 in San Antonio. The title of the training is, "Improving Access and Engagement in Addiction and Behavioral Health Treatment."

For those of you who do not know about NIATx, it stands for Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment. The organization was started by a group of human factors engineers who apply the principles of process measurement and design from the industrial world to the treatment of addiction disorders. Among their particular research interests are how to decrease wait times, improve retention in treatment, and reduce no shows. They focus intently on the day-to-day administrative and clinical processes of care and how those contribute to such problems and how they may be overcome.

T-ACT Glossary

A copy of the project glossary is available for download here. I have included a link to it on the righthand side, too.

SAMHSA TAP on Addiction Counseling Competencies

Craig Anne forwarded information about one of SAMHSA's TAPs (Technical Assistance Publications--will add to the glossary) related to addiction counseling competencies. This would be relevant to the group in light of our PAB meeting discussion on licensure and certification of addiction professionals in Tennessee.

To view other TAPs or TIPs (Treatment Improvement Protocols), go to this link.

Glossary Update

Nancy has a glossary that will be posted here soon; this electronic file will be stored on the electronic document archive.

In the meantime, I have created a T-ACT Wikispace, which among other things creates a public area to edit files collaboratively. In that space, I have created a glossary page with a few key acronyms.

The goal is to have something that everyone can contribute information as they think of it and have time so that we don't have to wait for one person to compile all the information. We will work on migrating Nancy's glossary to this space, too. If you would like to be invited to help edit this document (and others as they move to the site), please email Robert.

The space is free, but not costless. The wiki has Google Ads on the side.

Brain's Role in Addiction

The San Jose Mercury News reports on a current article in Science:

WASHINGTON - Damage to a silver dollar-sized spot deep in the brain seems to wipe out the urge to smoke, a surprising discovery that may shed important new light on addiction.

The research was inspired by a stroke survivor who claimed he simply forgot his two-pack-a-day addiction - no cravings, no nicotine patches, not even a conscious desire to quit.

...

Clearly brain damage isn't a treatment option for people struggling to kick the habit.

But the finding, reported in Friday's edition of the journal Science, does point scientists toward new ways to develop anti-smoking aids by targeting this little-known brain region called the insula. And it sparked excitement among addiction specialists who expect the insula to play a key role in other addictions, too.

...

Why? The insula appears to be where the brain turns physical reactions into feelings, such as feeling anxious when your heart speeds up. When those reactions are caused by a particular substance, the insula may act like sort of a headquarters for cravings.

I will post a link to the article in Science when it goes online Friday.

Update: The full article is not available online. You may view the abstract here.

I Use Alone, Yeah, With Nobody Else

The RAND Corporation published a study comparing attitudes of 8^th-graders who use illegal substances socially to those who use by themselves. They document attitudinal differences in adolescence and poorer outcomes at age 23.

You can find more on their substance abuse-related research at RAND's website. They also have relevant information in some of their other centers, so check it out.

Child Trauma Assessment Tools

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) website containes a database of assessment tools for adolescents and other family members, including information about research studies that have used these measures. This may be useful for providers in identifying childhood trauma related to a youth's substance use or other problems.

SAMHSA Resources for Co-occurring Disorders

SAMHSA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information has many items of interest to health care professionals, including an issue of this newsletter relating to co-occurring disorders in primary care settings. This is a link to other brochures and newsletters maintained in SAMHSA's Knowledge Application Program.

National Videoconference on Juvenile Status Offenders

From an email from the OJP/OJJDP:

On Thursday, January 18, 2007, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. ET, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, in conjunction with the American Bar Association's Commission on Youth at Risk and the Family and Youth Services Bureau, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will air the national videoconference "Addressing the Needs of Juvenile Status Offenders and Their Families."

This live satellite/Internet videoconference will focus on the factors that may lead a status offender to become more deeply involved in serious risk behavior, offending, and the juvenile justice system. The broadcast will highlight programs, practices, and policies that have shown promise in intervening with status offenders by reducing further offending, providing support to their families, and steering them toward a positive future. The broadcast will be available for viewing via satellite downlink or Internet Web streaming.

Resources:

To register or to get additional information about "Addressing the Needs of Juvenile Status Offenders and Their Families," visit http://www.trc.eku.edu/jj.

You may also contact by email.

Safe Places & Starbucks

The Nashville City Paper has an article on Oasis & Safe Places. Starbucks just signed up to be a safe place. Other safe places: Metro Fire Dept, Metro Transit Authority, and every school in Davidson county as well as some Kroger stores, Wendy's restaurants & local YMCAs. From the article:

“If you’re a teen and you’re in crisis, if you’re in a home that there’s some abuse going on… and you’re not feeling safe, you can go to any Starbucks in Nashville, walk up to an employee – they’ve all been trained – and say ‘I need some help,’” Oasis spokesperson Kelly Motley said.

According to Oasis officials, once a teen expresses his or her need for help, someone from the center shelter will send a staff member to the Starbucks or a cab will be dispatched to pick up the teen. The staff at the center then assesses the teen’s needs and may provide temporary housing for up to two weeks.

The center is also distributing print materials at every location for customers to read while at the coffee shop.

PAB Meeting Scheduled for 1/30/07

A preliminary agenda is available for this quarter's project advisory board meeting, to be held at the Nashville Downtown Public Library (directions; map).

Primary Care and SA Treatment

The National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, presents a free webcast:

The Role of Primary Care in Substance Abuse Treatment
Friday, January 19, 2007
1:00 - 2:30 p.m. ET / 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. CT

Click here to register or obtain more information.

New Funding Opportunities

Nancy found a couple of funding opportunities that may be of interest to members of the group.

• Mobilizing New Mentors Through Faith- and Community-Based Collaborations: a training opportunity scheduled for April 11-13, 2007 in Nashville. The program is hosted by MentorYouth.com, a division of National Network of Youth Ministries, and the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), and The Corporation for National and Community Service.
  
  
• Targeted Capacity Expansion Program for Substance Abuse Treatment and HIV/AIDS Services: an RFA from the federal Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) to:

  enhance and expand substance abuse treatment and/or outreach and pretreatment services in conjunction with HIV/AIDS services in African American, Latino/Hispanic, and/or other racial or ethnic communities highly affected by the twin epidemics of substance abuse and HIV/AIDS.

  Programs targeted to adolescents ages 12-17 years old are among those in which CSAT is interested.