Don't Count on the Media

A report in the American Journal of Public Health evaluated the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, which spent $1 billion between 1998 and 2004. Results suggest not only was the program not effective in preventing drug use, but the program may have increased marijuana initiation.

Full citation:

Robert Hornik, Lela Jacobsohn, Robert Orwin, Andrea Piesse, and Graham Kalton. Effects of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign on Youths.2008. Am J Public Health, 98:2229-2236, 10.2105/AJPH.2007.125849.

More Things Brown Can Do for You

Another online offering from Brown University/ATTC-NE, this one in CBT:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Brown University Distance Learning Program is offering a credited, on-line course on cognitive behavioral therapy.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is a treatment approach that has gained widespread application in the treatment of a variety of mental health issues, including substance abuse. Several important features of CBT make it particularly promising as a treatment for substance abuse and dependence:

• CBT is a short-term, comparatively brief approach well suited to the resource capabilities of most clinical programs.
  
• CBT has been extensively evaluated in rigorous clinical trials and has solid empirical support as treatment for substance abuse.
  
• CBT is structured, goal-oriented, and focused on the immediate problems faced by substance abusers entering treatment who are struggling to control their substance use.
  
• CBT is a flexible, individualized approach that can be adapted to a wide range of patients as well as a variety of settings (inpatient, outpatient) and formats (group, individual).
  
• CBT is compatible with a range of other treatments the patient may receive, such as pharmacotherapy and self-help groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous.

CBT's broad approach encompasses several important common tasks of successful substance abuse treatment.

This four week course will explore the central elements of CBT in the treatment of Substance Use Disorders and examine CBT treatment manuals that address alcohol and cocaine addiction.

The course instructor Justin Enggasser, Ph.D. is a Clinical Fellow at Harvard Medical School, Teaching Fellow at Boston University School of Medicine and currently works in the residential and outpatient substance abuse treatment programs at VA Boston Healthcare System. Dr. Enggasser has published several studies in the areas of cognitive vulnerability and substance use. He is currently involved in projects developing and testing new treatment models (a gender-specific cognitive-behavioral treatment protocol for women with substance use disorders) and treatment delivery methods (web-based interventions for problem drinking).

This course will begin on February 2, 2009, and will run for 4 weeks. The required time commitment is two hours per week (8 contact hours). There are no real time events associated with this course. All course material will be posted on the Internet.

The total cost of this course is $60.00 (US) the course payment is due by February 2, 2009. Refund requests will be honored until the posting of the second lesson (February 9, 2009), after which there will be no refunds. For additional information regarding this course offering, as well as a link to the Brown Distance Learning course '383 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy' registration page, please go to the following WWW site and read the Official Course Announcement.

http://www.browndlp.org/cbtann.php

To register for this course please log in/ or create your account then log into your account and click the Enroll in a New Course link at the bottom of your account page. Then select the course you wish to enroll into and click the enroll button. Having enrolled into the course you will be prompted for payment. You may make your payment online. To view payment information please see the payment policies page.

Sincerely,

Monte D. Bryant, BA
Technology Programming and Evaluation Administrator
Addiction Technology Transfer Center of New England
Center for Alcohol & Addiction Studies
Box G-S121 5th
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
401-863-6606
http://www.attc-ne.org

Recommendations for the President-elect

A blog entry by Mark Kleiman at UCLA summarizes his take on current issues in drug treatment, drug availability, and systems responses, including for adolescents. A couple of highlights:

• 9. Prevalence of diverted opioids and diverted stimulants among adolescents high and rising, with initiation at record levels. Little knowledge about how much damage this does; the pattern of peer-to-peer and internet distribution seems not to be generating problem drug markets or violence.
  
• ...
  
• 22. Data gathering and analysis is a mess.
  • Almost all the money is spent on two big and very expensive annual surveys: NS-DUH (household) and Monitoring the Future (school-based), which give information about prevalence but not about problems.
    
  • ADAM, which was a cheap way to monitor drug use in the criminal-justice population, was shut down early in the decade. A proposal to do the same thing even more cheaply by relying on the drug tests done routinely on probationers and parolees never happened.
    
  • The DAWN system to measure drug-related emergency room visits and deaths has broken down.
    
  • The Community Epidemiology Work Group no longer collects original data.
    
  • The DEA Stride data set on drug prices and purities is no longer available for statistical analysis.

Training Opportunity: Becoming a Supervisor

This notice came over the electronic transom, announcing a training opportunity for moving line workers to supervisory positions:

Moving From Line Worker to Supervisor

Brown University Distance Learning Program is offering a credited, on-line course on moving from line worker to supervisor.

The Supervisors of tomorrow are the line workers of today. In the field of chemical dependency counseling, many of the original supervisors of programs are retiring. New qualified supervisors are needed in administrative and clinical supervisory roles. Even if you started your career as a Counselor with no intention of becoming a Supervisor, you have either been offered an opportunity to be a Supervisor or you are interested in finding about how to use your skills to move into a supervisory position, this is the course for you. Through the use of practical examples and readings, participants will learn the basics of supervision and how to incorporate clinical counseling tools into a supervisory setting and how to address the issues of moving from Peer to Supervisor. This course is designed for the new supervisor or the counselor who would aspires to become a supervisor.

The course instructor Susanne Smoller L-RCSW, CASAC, CPP, ACSW , is an independent organizational consultant specializing in substance abuse and HIV/AIDS. Susanne has worked in a variety of substance abuse settings with positions ranging from line worker to program director. Susanne also has experience as a Case Manager and Crime Victim Advocate. Susanne has also been a consultant on research grants regarding Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual teens; bridging substance abuse treatment research to practice; and New York State Expanded Syringe Access Demonstration Program (ESAP). Susanne started her own consulting practice in 2001 and became a Qualified Myers Briggs Type Indicator Practitioner. As an independent consultant, Susanne has been a strong advocate for syringe disposal and needle exchange in Long Island, NY. She has also expanded her work with HIV+ consumers, providing workshops on treatment information and risk reduction. Susanne also provides technical assistance consulting for federal grantees across the country on a variety of issues, including program sustainability and staff training needs. Susanne is currently an instructor at Molloy College's Chemical Dependency Certificate Program. Susanne was named Social Worker of the year in 1998 by the local division of the National Association of Social Workers and in 2006, Nassau County PTA Volunteer of the Year.

This course will begin on January 26, 2009, and will run for 4 weeks. The required time commitment is two hours per week (8 contact hours). There are no real time events associated with this course. All course material will be posted on the Internet.

The total cost of this course is $60.00 (US) the course payment is due by January 26, 2009. Refund requests will be honored until the posting of the second lesson (February 2, 2009), after which there will be no refunds. For additional information regarding this course offering, as well as a link to the Brown Distance Learning course 'Lineworker to Supervisor' registration page, please go to the following WWW site and read the Official Course Announcement.

http://www.browndlp.org/linetosupann.php

To register for this course please log in/ or create your account then log into your account and click the Enroll in a New Course link at the bottom of your account page. Then select the course you wish to enroll into and click the enroll button. Having enrolled into the course you will be prompted for payment. You may make your payment online. To view payment information please see the payment policies page.

Sincerely,

Monte D. Bryant, BA
Technology Programming and Evaluation Administrator
Addiction Technology Transfer Center of New England
Center for Alcohol & Addiction Studies
Box G-S121 5th
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
401-863-6606
http://www.attc-ne.org

Prescription Pain Killers and Overdoses in WV

A study of unintentional pharmaceutical overdoses in WV found that prescription opioids were present in 93% of cases, according to a CDC study reported in JAMA. From the abstract:

Pharmaceutical diversion [of prescriptions to those not prescribed] was associated with 186 (63.1%) deaths, while 63 (21.4%) were accompanied by evidence of doctor shopping. Prevalence of diversion was greatest among decedents aged 18 through 24 years and decreased across each successive age group...Substance abuse indicators were identified in 279 decedents (94.6%).

An accompanying editorial by Tom McLellan and Barbara Turner of Treatment Research Institute (TRI) calls for better monitoring of prescriptions. Below is a press release from TRI.

December 11, 2008

CDC Study of West Virginia Overdoses Suggests Need for Better Compliance Monitoring

More Vigilance, Better Electronic Records are Needed, Not Less Use of Opioids to Control Pain, Contend A. Thomas McLellan, Ph.D. and Barbara J. Turner, M.D., MSED in Special JAMA Editorial

Physicians who prescribe opioids should be more vigilant and step up monitoring, but not avoid prescribing these drugs when needed for pain management, according to A. Thomas McLellan, Ph.D. and Barbara J. Turner, M.D., MSED in an editorial appearing in the December 10, 2008 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Their editorial accompanied a study in the same JAMA issue by Aron Hall, M.D. and other CDC researchers finding that prescription opioids were involved in 275 of the 295 overdose deaths in West Virginia in 2006, and that less than half of those who died had actually been prescribed the drugs. The findings, which McLellan and Turner called "disturbing," suggest that diversion of expensive and potent pain medications (sold or stolen) can lead to lethal outcomes.

"These findings provide further evidence of how significant abuse and misuse of prescription medications has become to America's drug problem," McLellan said. "We know that legitimate, doctor prescribed and managed opioid use is on the rise because of the high prevalence of chronic pain-causing diseases like arthritis. Very disturbing, however, is the rapid increase in accidental drug overdoses, most from opioid use," he said.

"The real message - from this and other studies - is that physicians should increase monitoring, particularly for patients who admit to a history of substance use/abuse when formally queried," he said, "and they should be queried."

In addition to asking patients about past drug, alcohol, and possibly tobacco use, McLellan and Turner recommended executing agreements where patients assent to: receiving opioid drugs from one physician and one pharmacy; limits on timing of refills; taking the medications as prescribed; and adhering to doctor visits for urine screens and other safety checks. Another necessary monitoring tool, they said, is through statewide or even multi-state prescription monitoring databases that physicians can easily access from their offices. "For 20% of the West Virginia deaths, patients appeared to be 'doctor shopping' (obtaining prescriptions from multiple physicians, sometimes based on fraudulent claims of pain or other symptoms). This makes a compelling case for prescription monitoring programs that span multiple states - but such databases are not widely available," they said.

Copies of the editorial and the CDC study can be obtained from the JAMA website.

The Treatment Research Institute is a non-profit research and development organization specializing in science-driven reform of policy and practice in substance use and abuse. For more information contact Bonnie Catone, TRI Director of Communications, at bcatone@tresearch.org.

ED Visits for Underage Drinkers

SAMHSA's Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) reports this month on ED use by underage drinkers.

SAMHSA Releases New Data on Drug-related Hospital Emergency Department Visits (12/5/08)

The latest Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) report - drawn from a sample of hospital emergency departments across the Nation - indicates that more than 1.7 million visits for treatment were associated with some form of substance misuse or abuse. The 2006 DAWN report, developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), provides the latest estimates on how substance use affects this critical part of the Nation's healthcare system.

Click on the link for more information about the DAWN report

Key findings:

According to the Drug Abuse Warning
Network (DAWN):

• During 2004, an estimated 142,701 alcohol-related emergency department (ED) visits were made by patients aged 12 to 20.
  
• Nearly half (42%) of drug-related ED visits among patients aged 12 to 20 involved alcohol.
  
• Patients aged 18 to 20 were approximately 3 times as likely as patients aged 12 to 17 to have an alcohol-related ED visit.
  
• Visits involving alcohol with other drugs were almost 2 times as likely as visits involving only alcohol to result in admission to the hospital for inpatient care (19% vs. 10%).

Reno 411

The College on Problems of Drug Dependence meets 20-25 June 2009 in Reno, NV. SAMHSA's Randy Muck sent this email regarding travel scholarships for practitioners that wish to attend (award deadline: 10 Jan 2009):

Dear Grantee,

The College on Problems of Drug Dependence (CPDD) is holding is 71st Annual Scientific Meeting, June 20-25, 2009 in Reno/Sparks, Nevada and CSAT will once again be sponsoring up to 30 Travel Awards for clinical supervisors or directors who are in positions to implement evidenced-based practices in substance abuse treatment and recovery settings. The CPDD conference is the premier scientific conference in the field and this is an exceptional opportunity for those clinical supervisors and program directors to learn first-hand about the most recent findings in treatment and recovery that they can use in their programs. In addition, it is a wonderful opportunity for providers and clinical supervisors to dialogue with researchers in an environment conducive to promoting the adoption of evidenced-based practices.

Below is specific information about the application process, including the deadline for the applications and the person to whom the applications should be sent.

CSAT Travel Awards
The Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) will sponsor up to 30 Travel Awards for substance abuse treatment practitioners to attend the 2009 CPDD meeting. To be eligible, candidates must hold full-time employment as a director or clinical supervisor in a substance abuse treatment program and not be an employee of the federal government. Only one award will be given to any specific program. Previous CSAT travel award recipients are not eligible to apply. All expenses will be covered: i.e., conference registration, airfare, travel to and from the airport, and hotel accommodation. Applicants will be sent emails by the end of March indicating award status.

To apply, send five collated copies of the following:

1. An up-to-date resume or vitae including contact information, previous travel fellowships, if applicable, work experience and academic experience. Please include your current e-mail address.

2. A one page letter on institutional letterhead indicating interest in receiving an award and including a statement as to how this conference will benefit your work in your current position. Please include a valid telephone number and e-mail address.

3. A letter of support on institutional letterhead from your direct supervisor stating should you be selected that you will be allowed to attend.

Complete, collated applications must be received on or before January 10, 2009. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered. Applicants are required to arrive prior to 4:30 PM on June 19, attend a networking session sponsored by CSAT in the evening on June 19, the CSAT-sponsored satellite session June 20, a breakfast sponsored by CPDD for the awardees on June 21, and remain for the entire CPDD meeting. Materials should be mailed to:

Dr. Alison Oliveto, Chair, CPDD Travel Awards Committee, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 W. Markham Street, Mail Slot 843, Little Rock, AR 72205. For inquiries call: 501.686.8969.”

Randolph D. Muck, M.Ed.
Chief, Targeted Populations Branch
Division of Services Improvement
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
1 Choke Cherry Road
Room 5-1097
Rockville, MD 20857

Phone: 240-276-1576

Gender Drinking Gap

An article in the popular press discusses increases in female alcohol consumption.

Alcohol Taxes Saving Lives in Alaska

A recent study of mortality and tax data in Alaska reports increases in state taxes on alcohol purchases led to declines in death due to alcohol-related causes. See abstract below:

Effects of Alcohol Tax Increases on Alcohol-Related Disease Mortality in Alaska: Time-Series Analyses from 1976 to 2004

Alexander C. Wagenaar, Mildred M. Maldonado-Molina, Bradley H. Wagenaar

Objective. We evaluated the effects of tax increases on alcoholic beverages in 1983 and 2002 on alcohol-related disease mortality in Alaska.

Methods. We used a quasi-experimental design with quarterly measures of mortality from 1976 though 2004, and we included other states for comparison. Our statistical approach combined an auto regressive integrated moving average model with structural parameters in interrupted time-series models.

Results. We observed statistically significant reductions in the numbers and rates of deaths caused by alcohol-related disease beginning immediately after the 1983 and 2002 alcohol tax increases in Alaska. In terms of effect size, the reductions were –29% (Cohen’s d=–0.57) and –11% (Cohen’s d=–0.52) for the 2 tax increases. Statistical tests of temporary-effect models versus long-term effect models showed little dissipation of the effect over time.

Conclusions. Increases in alcohol excise tax rates were associated with immediate and sustained reductions in alcohol-related disease mortality in Alaska. Reductions in mortality occurred after 2 tax increases almost 20 years apart. Taxing alcoholic beverages is an effective public health strategy for reducing the burden of alcohol-related disease.

Nancy Reed passed along the following information related to adolescent substance abuse treatment.

Bulletin Analyzes Co-occurrence of Substance-Related Behaviors
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has published "Co-occurrence of Substance Use Behaviors in Youth."

The bulletin draws on data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth to analyze the prevalence and overlap of substance-related behaviors among youth. The central finding of this analysis is that given one substance-related behavior, other substance-related behaviors become more likely.

Click here for a copy of the bulletin. Below is the abstract:

Examines the prevalence and overlap of substance-related behaviors among youth, making comparisons based on age group, gender, and race/ethnicity. Findings reported in this Bulletin are drawn from the first two stages of the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, which gathered self-reports from a nationally representative sample of youth ages 12–17 in 1997 and 1998. The data are derived from questions survey participants answered regarding their alcohol and drug use during the previous 30 days, including the frequency of their consumption, the types of drugs used, and whether they had sold drugs. The central finding was that, given one substance-related behavior, other substance-related behaviors became much more likely.

Here's a training opportunity reminder:

On behalf of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), a new training opportunity has been added to the Adolescence and Substance Abuse section of the NCTSN website.

A presentation by Dr. Robert Pynoos titled, "Youth with Trauma Histories, PTSD, and Co-Occurring Substance Abuse" has been added. The presentation explores the relationship between youth with trauma histories and co-occurring substance abuse disorders as well as assessment and treatment strategies. View the presentation by clicking on this website.

Trauma, PTSD and Substance Use

This note crossed our transom:

Grantees:
On behalf of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network I would like to pass along to all of you a new training opportunity. Please see the announcement below.

I would like to announce a new addition to the Adolescence and Substance Abuse section of the NCTSN website. A presentation by Dr. Robert Pynoos has been added titled, “Youth with Trauma Histories, PTSD, and Co-Occurring Substance Abuse”. The presentation explores the relationship between youth with trauma histories and co-occurring substance abuse disorders as well as assessment and treatment strategies. I hope everyone will enjoy this new resource.

http://nctsn.org/nccts/nav.do?pid=ctr_top_adol

Thanks,

Carly B. Dierkhising, MA
Program Coordinator, Service Systems
National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, UCLA
cdierkhising@mednet.ucla.edu
p: 310-235-2633

The site listed above contains a ton of information for MH and SA providers, as well as families and youth, not just the particular presentation referenced.

Next PAB Meeting

The next PAB meeting is scheduled for Wednesday 19 November 2008 at the TennCare building in MetroCenter, site of several of our most recent meetings.

On the agenda for this meeting are updates by Mary Rolando on the GOCCC's Substance Abuse Collaborative and Carol Nixon and STARS on the True North brief intervention pilot.

Note: due to the state's budget cuts, lunch will NOT be provided this time. We will work something out so that people don't die of starvation during the meeting.

More on the Parity Legislation

Via Nancy (by way of JoinTogether.org):

JT Direct News Alert
Join Together
Friday, Oct. 3, 2008 - 3:55 p.m. ET
---
Congress, Bush Approve Addiction and Mental Health Parity Legislation

The long-held dream of parity in behavioral healthcare is now a
reality: The U.S. House of Representatives voted 263-171 to
approve the Wall Street bailout bill, which includes a provision
that mandates parity coverage for addiction and mental-health
care, and President George Bush swiftly signed the measure into
law.

READ MORE:

http://members.jointogether.org/ct/-dsEC5n1WYuY/parity

http://www.jointogether.org/news/features/2008/congress-approves-addiction.html

Nutritional Treatment for Drug Addiction?

A report in the Economist summarizes some current research in Britain and the U.S. on nutrition's effects in aiding recovery from drug addiction. The essence is: eating particular foods makes available more of the raw materials necessary to restore imbalances in neurotransmitters associated with addiction or other mental disorder. By removing the drugs and providing the nutrients, the brain's neurochemistry returns to "normal" and helps to fight chemically driven urges for substance use.

Mental Health and Addiction Parity Act Passes

Embedded in this week's economic bailout/rescue package that was passed today by the House of Representatives--and which will become law upon the president's signature--was the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act of 2008.

The bill calls for parity in coverage of mental health and substance abuse services (from the linked article):

The legislation applies to group health plans of 51 or more employees. The bill takes the following steps:

• If a plan offers out-of-network benefits for medical or surgical care, it must also offer out-of-network coverage for mental health and addiction treatment and provide services at parity.
  
• Strong state parity and consumer protection laws are preserved while extending parity protection to 82 million more people who are not protected by state laws and 31 million in plans that are subject to state regulation.

State parity laws vary widely from state to state (for a map of state laws, visit www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/parity/states).
...
For fact sheets on the legislation and more information, go to www.mentalhealthamerica.net.

What Might P4P in Addiction Treatment Look Like?

The October issue of Fast Company reports on a hospital network that offers fixed price coronary artery bypass (CABG) surgery at a fixed price with a 90-day "any complications and your surgery is free."

One aspect of their model: a standardized checklist of 40 steps from pre-surgery through recovery that medical personnel must sign off on. (Doctors can elect to skip a step, but they must document that they're skipping the step.)

Another aspect of the model: the price charged includes a fraction of the expected costs of follow-up care usually associated with complications. If a surgery usually costs $50,000 and follow-up procedures might cost $10,000, a fraction of that $10,000 is built into the new list price for the surgery for all patients (say, $50,800).

Some questions to think about:

• What might such a model look like for adolescent substance abuse treatment?
  
• How is substance abuse treatment different from surgery?
  
• Are those differences barriers to such a strategy?
  
• Could some differences enhance the utility of this model for substance abuse services?
  
• How is the checklist different from procedures and standards set by accrediting organizations?

Sustaining Community Programs

SAMHSA has published: Sustaining Grassroots Community-Based Prorgrams: A Toolkit for Community- and Faith-Based Service Providers. The report highlights strategies for:

• organizational assessment and readiness
  
• effective marketing
  
• financial management
  
• sustainability (fund development and fund raising)
  
• results-oriented evaluation.

Reminder: CANS Conference 9/28-9/30

The 5th Annual National Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) Conference will be September 28th through September 30th, 2008 at the Hilton Downtown Nashville.

Follow these links for more info: Registration, Agenda.

Topics include:

• Total Clinical Outcomes Management: A framework for managing services for Programs, Agencies, and Systems
  
• Training and Implementation Issues, including a hands on demonstration of web-based training and certification approaches
  
• Decision Support Applications for intensity of services and level of care
  
• Measuring and Managing Outcomes: The role of structured assessment in performance contracting
  
• Quality improvement applications
  
• System Management Strategies including geo mapping approaches to support service matching
  
• Strategies for incorporating youth and families in the planning process
  
• Using the CANS to Support Trauma-Informed Care
  
• Adult Needs and Strengths (ANSA).

Treatment for Women

SAMHSA has a new web site devoted to funding and treatment for women and children with substance use disorders. Some of this materials is relevant for adolescent treatment (e.g., when youth have mothers with substance use disorders).

Drug Names and Slang

The Partnership for a Drug-free America has a variety of resources for parents and providers, including this listing of drug names and effects. The listing includes a listing by slang names and images of the drugs.

ARS Scholarships

As mentioned in a previous post, the Association of Recovery Schools conference has scholarships available for attendance. This is the online application. Due date is 11 July 2008 at 5:00 p.m. CT.

For those without Internet access, please direct them to:

• Barbara Bruhns Frey [ freybb (AT) earthlink.net ],
  
• Jessica Mehl [ jessica.k.mehl (AT) vanderbilt.edu ],
  Andrew Finch [ andrew.j.finch (AT) vanderbilt.edu ].

Journey Together Conference

The Middle Tennessee Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors is holding a conference 3-6 Sept 2008 at Hotel Preston in Nashville. Here is a link to the conference brochure. Noted from the brochure:

This conference has been planned and implemented in accordance with the credentialing standards of the licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor standards and provides a maximum of 18 credit hours. Credit hours will be broken into primary functions for those individuals pursuing licensure.

Association of Recovery Schools Conference

The Association of Recovery Schools is having its annual conference in Nashville at Vanderbilt University 25-27 July 2008. Here is a link to the conference page, which includes registration and program information.

T-ACT, through the GOCCC, is sponsoring a limited number of scholarships for those interested in attending. Contact Nancy Reed (nancy.r.reed (AT) state.tn.us) or Andy Finch (andrew.j.finch (AT) vanderbilt.edu) for an application and additional information.

Las Vegas or Metro Center?

For those who have the means, PAB members Phyllis Hoppes and Paul Fuchcar are attending the US Journal Training Adolescent Conference in Las Vegas, 24-26 April 2008. This conflicts with the April PAB meeting slated for 23 April 2008 at the Bureau of TennCare.

Certified Peer Support Specialists

The Office of Consumer Affairs in TDMHDD has revised its Certified Peer Support Specialists handbook and forms. You may view them at this link.

Why Drug Cravings Persist

New research finds cravings for methamphetamine persist in mice even after a long period of recovery from scientist-induced drug addiction. Addiction disrupts a key neurochemical balance, and only after re-introducing the drug could the mice restore equilibrium in the chemicals. The authors believe this generalizes to other stimulants such as cocaine.

One implication to consider: Is it possible then that a key component of treatment in the future would be to have planned relapses as a means to recondition a client's neurochemical pathways?

CADCAT Advocacy Training

CADCAT announces training for advocates:

Please see attached brochure and register quickly. We are recruiting existing and new advocates so feel free to pass this on to anyone you think might be interested.

Please contact Cynthia George at CADCAT at (615) 227-5250 or cgeorge@cadcat.org if you have any questions. Thanks!

31st SUMMIT

Tennessee's 31st Annual Tennessee Advanced School on Addictions, THE SUMMIT, is coming up May 26-30.

Dear Participant:

Welcome to THE SUMMIT, the 31st Annual Tennessee Advanced School on Addictions. This year’s theme, "The Evidence Is In," truly reflects the conference’s curriculum which compares evidenced-based protocols with solid client outcomes. The SUMMIT will feature presentations detailing the latest evidenced based treatment protocols, as well as highlighting strategies designed for our Tennessee Access to Recovery II providers.

We have assembled an outstanding faculty from across the United States, who will share their expertise through formal presentations and interactive workshops throughout the week. Some of the school faculty includes: David Mee-Lee, MD, Mark Sanders, Peter Hayden, Ph.D., Bob Carty, and C.C. Nuckols, Ph.D.

On Wednesday evening, Maya Hennessey, known for her abilities as a motivational speaker will bring to our attendees and the recovery community a presentation on Women in Recovery: The Challenges and Reward. You will also have the opportunity to hear from Ernie Kurtz, Clifton Mitchell, and Mark Schwartz who will be our featured morning plenary speakers. On Friday morning, John McAndrew will bring his songs of inspiration to our closing breakfast general assembly.

This Summit has something of interest for all professionals in the field. Hopefully, through our continued efforts of "in the evidence...of our outcomes," we can make a difference in alleviating the debilitating effects of alcohol and drug abuse.

We look forward to seeing you at the school.

Sincerely,

Bruce D. Emery, M.S.W.
Assistant Commissioner

Jay Jana
State Training Coordinator

Text for Help?

A recent study in the American Journal of Public Health (March 2008, vol.98,no.3, pp.393-395; doi:10.2105/AJPH.2007.110767) reports on a text messaging service in San Francisco designed to address rising rates of sexually transmitted diseases among African American teens. Youth text "SEXINFO" to a 5-digit number and receive information and referral services in response. The project has support from community, religious, and health groups. Example messages may be viewed at: www.sextextsf.org.

Would a similar service be possible in Tennessee for substance abuse prevention and treatment? Could this be an extension of something like Tennessee Redline? Do any providers in Tennessee operate anything similar already?

Children's Advocacy Days Coming

Registration for TCCY's Children's Advocacy Days is ongoing:

20th Annual Children's Advocacy Days Planned for March 11-12
Location: War Memorial Auditorium - Nashville, TN

Children's Advocacy Days 2008 will provide a forum for those working with, and on behalf of, children and families across the state in order to gain new information and facilitate their efforts to improve the lives of children and families in their communities.

Reclaiming Futures Call for Proposals

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation issued a call for proposals to add up to 6 new sites for its Reclaiming Futures program.

Reclaiming Futures is a new approach to helping young people in trouble with drugs, alcohol, and crime. We have 10 sites throughout the United States that are reinventing the way police, courts, detention facilities, treatment providers, and the community work together to meet this urgent need.

We are a five-year, $21 million initiative of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Our mission is to promote new opportunities and standards of care in juvenile justice.

In addition to our 10 pilot projects, we are providing technical assistance to a small number of communities in the southeastern United States, developing judicial and community leadership, and disseminating research findings.

After five years, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will take its findings from Reclaiming Futures and create model solutions for communities across the country.

View or download the Reclaiming Futures National Video (MP4 format, 31.8mb)

Applicants must be a state/local government entity, juvenile court, or treatment facility. Due date for brief proposals (1500 words) is 4/1/08. See the call for proposals for more details.

ATTC Online Training

Nancy Reed reminded folks at the last Adolescent Advisory Committee meeting about online training opportunities through the New England Addiction Technology Transfer Center. The Online Addiction Education Program Course Calendar web page is located at: http://www.attc-ne.org/education/.

TCSW 2008 Call for Submissions

Pam Brown reminded folks at the last Adolescent Advisory Committee meeting about the upcoming Tennessee Conference on Social Welfare conference and encouraged adolescent substance abuse focused submissions.

The TN Conference on Social Welfare Annual Conference Program Committee invites the submission of proposals for presentation at the 2008 Spring Training Conference to be held

March 25, 26 and 27, 2008 at Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE: NOW!

Proposals are solicited in the following general track areas, but are not limited to the following based on general fit with the overall theme of Together Tennessee.

Social Policy Issues: Immigration, Social Health, Aging and Disability Community Care, Poverty, and more.

Early Intervention and Prevention: At-Risk Families and Children, Mental Health, Early Childhood Education, Home Visitation, Parenting, and more.

Learning for Life: Corrections and Re-Entry, Juvenile Justice, Public Education Innovations, Mental Health, Conflict Resolution, School-Based Programs for At-Risk Children and Families/Collaborations between Schools and Services, Violence Prevention, Job Readiness, Career Development, and more.

Back On Track - Healing from Hurt: Abuse, Violence, Addictions, Mental Health, Custody, Transitioning, Families of Offenders and more.

Community Solutions: Broader involvement, Community Change strategies, public and private policy analysis and Strategic Planning, Community Resources, Empowering Citizens and Consumers and more.

Professional and Volunteer Development: Board Matters, Stress Reduction, Healthier Living, Volunteer Management, NonProfit Advancement Strategies, Working With Local Government, and more.

PAB Survey 2008

The 2008 edition of the PAB member survey is available for download for those who were not able to attend this quarter's meeting. Please submit your responses by fax to Robert Saunders at 615-322-1141 or by email to robert [dot] c [dot] saunders [at] vanderbilt [dot] edu.

To ensure confidentiality, the repsonses will be stripped of the sending fax number and your email will be deleted after the response has been printed. No record is kept of who sent the information, unless you complete the optional name information on the survey.

Day on Capitol Hill

The Tennessee Coaltion for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services announces its annual "Day on Capitol Hill":

Day on Capitol Hill
04 March 2008
8:00 - 4:30
War Memorial Auditorium
301 Sixth Avenue North
Nashville, TN map

Register in advance by calling NAMI at (800) 467-3589 or using this registration form.

Calendar Updated

The Yahoo!Calendar (and to your right) has been updated to include events for January-March. If you know of any events that need to be added, please contact Robert by email tactblog AT yahoo.com.

PAB Meeting 28 Jan 2008

The quarterly PAB meeting will be held 28 Jan 2008:

Tennessee Dept of Health
Mid-Cumberland Regional Office Building
710 Hart St
Nashville, TN 37247
[Google Map]

SAMHSA Co-Occcurring Center for Excellence

SAMHSA's Co-Occurring Center for Excellence (COCE) has issued several "overview papers" related to co-occurring disorders. These include screening and assessment, epidemiology of the disorders, systems integration, treatment in non-traditional settings and more. You can download these from the COCE, or I've bundled the reports into a single zip file (about 3MB) on the T-ACT archive.

There is a lot of other useful information at the site, so I am adding the COCE website to the right-hand side list of links.

Online Workshop Opportunity

An announcement from the Addiction Technology Transfer Center of New England (ATTC-NE) regarding an online workshop beginning 18 Feb 2008:

Adolescent Chemical Dependency:

Current Perspectives And Treatment Approaches

The Addiction Technology Transfer Center of New England, funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) is offering an online course on substance abusing adolescents.

This workshop will review current perspectives on this very difficult treatment population. A discussion of the participants' experiences with the clinically challenging tasks of treating adolescents and their families will occur. A number of effect treatment techniques and approaches will be presented. Specific topics to be reviewed will include: Developmentally appropriate assessment techniques, bio-genetic influences and consequences, neurological functioning and condition progression. As well as intervention and recovery strategies that are developmentally functional and engaging that combine cognitive behavioral and 12 step approaches.

This course will be taught by Michael Torch, M.A., L.A.D.C., C.C.S., an addiction treatment provider with over 20 years experience. Currently working in Student Assistance, Outpatient Practice, and Behavioral Health consultation. He has been a trainer of alcohol and drug counselors for over 15 years, with extensive experience treating chemically dependent trauma victims in Public Schools, Correctional environments, law enforcement personnel, inpatient chemical dependency programs, and outpatient practice. Mr. Torch has served on the Alcohol and Drug Counselor Certification Review Board in New Hampshire for 15 years, is Chair of the State Advisory Board on Juvenile Justice, member of the Board of Directors for the National Coalition for Juvenile Justice, and Chair of the National Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Forum.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course the student will be able to:

• Gain an understanding of the developmental differences between adolescent and adult chemical dependency.
  
• Identify the current adolescent use patterns and their relationship to effective treatment techniques.
  
• Gain an understanding of the neurological conditioning that creates cognitive barriers to recovery for this population.
  
• Discuss some productive activities that are useful with patients.
  
• Interact with others that understand why we want to work with this population.

The total cost of this course is $40.00 the course payment is due by February 18, 2008.

View the full announcement for details on accreditation.

Cocaine Vaccine

Researchers at Baylor University are working to develop a vaccine for cocaine addiction:

The vaccine, currently in clinical trials, stimulates the immune system to attack the real thing when it's taken.

The immune system — unable to recognize cocaine and other drug molecules because they are so small — can't make antibodies to attack them.

To help the immune system distinguish the drug, Kosten attached inactivated cocaine to the outside of inactivated cholera proteins.

In response, the immune system not only makes antibodies to the combination, which is harmless, but also recognizes the potent naked drug when it's ingested. The antibodies bind to the cocaine and prevent it from reaching the brain, where it normally would generate the highs that are so addictive.