From Anne.Rogers at maine.gov Mon Jun 1 08:20:15 2009 From: Anne.Rogers at maine.gov (Rogers, Anne) Date: Mon, 1 Jun 2009 08:20:15 -0400 Subject: [Prevention] FW: What addiction really costs your state - take action today Message-ID: This was forwarded to me; I thought you might find this interesting to see what substance abuse costs Maine. ________________________________ From: updates at jointogether.org [mailto:updates at jointogether.org] Sent: Thursday, May 28, 2009 3:46 PM To: Frazier, Linda Subject: What addiction really costs your state - take action today A message from Join Together at CASA* May 28, 2009 Dear Daniel, take action See what Maine spends Tell your elected officials According to a report CASA issued this morning, federal, state and local governments spend almost half a trillion dollars every year -- almost 11 percent of their total budgets -- as a result of alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse and addiction. The worst part is that, for federal and state spending, about 95% of that money is spent "Shoveling Up" the mess created by a failure to provide enough money for prevention and treatment. That's right. Out of every dollar federal and state governments spent on substance misuse in 2005 (the latest data available), 95 cents paid for the enormous burden of this problem on health care, criminal justice, child welfare, education, and other programs. And only 2 cents were invested in prevention and treatment programs that could reduce many of these costs -- and save lives. This huge waste of money is hidden in many different budgets, so most of our elected officials don't have a clue about how much alcohol, tobacco and other drugs really cost taxpayers, and how little governments spend to effectively address the problem. Maybe if they knew, they might do something. You can tell them. Please do two important things today: * See detailed expenses for Maine and download the report . * Send a message to your governor and state legislators urging them to review and act on the report . Our researchers studied all federal, state and local budgets for 2005 using careful, conservative methods to determine how much of each major budget category was directly linked to substance misuse. For example, they determined how much of each state's Medicaid and other health care expenses were due to one of over 70 medical diagnoses that are caused or made worse by alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse and addiction. They did the same for criminal justice, welfare and other key government budgets. They also identified all government spending on prevention, treatment and research, regulation of alcohol and tobacco products and drug interdiction. When the numbers are added up, the total is really shocking: 467.7 billion dollars. Spending less than 2% of the federal and state costs for prevention and treatment, and more than 95% shoveling up the mess, is upside down public policy that wastes billions in taxpayer dollars at a time when resources are scarce, and results in untold human suffering. Our leaders need to make new investments in prevention and treatment now to reduce the awful burden that untreated tobacco, alcohol and drug problems place on our budgets -- and our citizens. Please act today. Sincerely, David L. Rosenbloom President and CEO The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University P.S. Please forward this important message to your friends and colleagues today. *The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University is neither affiliated with, nor sponsored by, the National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association (also known as "CASA") or any of its member organizations with the name of "CASA." ________________________________ Forward a copy of this message: Tell-a-friend! If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for Join Together Action Alerts . This message was sent to linda.frazier at maine.gov. Visit your subscription management page to modify your email communication preferences or update your personal profile. To stop ALL email from Join Together Action Alerts, click to remove yourself from our lists (or reply via email with "remove or unsubscribe" in the subject line). From Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov Mon Jun 8 08:28:57 2009 From: Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov (Goodwin, Jacinda) Date: Mon, 8 Jun 2009 08:28:57 -0400 Subject: [Prevention] Prevention News Message-ID: <85EFB83FC912D542B4A480D9B1590DD306544F55@SOM-TEAQASMAIL5.som.w2k.state.me.us> Dear Prevention Colleagues, Below is the substance abuse prevention funding and news. The source of this information is noted in each section. Please follow up with contact information found associated with each article or go to the sites listed below. If you wish to post information that you believe would be pertinent to your prevention colleagues please forward that information to me at Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov for review and possible posting. Search the Maine Prevention Calendar for upcoming trainings, conferences, and workshops (you can also submit statewide and regional events for posting): www.mainepreventioncalendar.org Dear Colleague, You are cordially invited to participate in a one-day Alcohol and Other Drug Advocacy Leadership Training Institute. The institute is open to anyone who is concerned about alcohol and other drug addiction in Maine and would like to make a difference by advocating for prevention, treatment and recovery policies, funding and services. Two Training Institutes are scheduled as follows: * Southern Maine: Friday June 12 at Portland City Hall, State of Maine Room. Registration Deadline is Tuesday, June 9. * Northern Maine: Friday June 19 at United Technology Center, Bangor. Registration Deadline is Friday, June 12. A highly distinguished faculty of state and legislative officials, executives and experts will provide the information you need to enhance your advocacy skills so that you become empowered to make a difference! To submit an application online, go to www.jointogether.org/maine-advocacy -- or download the brochure (PDF, 142 KB), complete the application, and fax to 207-621-8362 or mail to: MASAP, ATTN: Kelly Sawyer 295 Water Street, Suite 200 Augusta, ME 04330 Seating is limited, so register early. We hope you will join us to help make a blueprint for change! Sincerely, Join Together, on behalf of Institute Co-sponsors: Maine Association of Substance Abuse Programs (MASAP) Maine Alliance to Prevent Substance Abuse (MAPSA) Maine Alliance for Addiction Recovery (MAAR) and AdCare Educational Institute of Maine June 4, 2009 New Report Suggests Youth Drug Use Could Be Making a Comeback http://www.cadca.org/CoalitionsOnline/article.asp?id=2209 While youth drug use rates declined by 29 percent since 1997, a new report indicates that this decline has ended and that use rates for certain drug types have increased since then. Couple that with a "softening" of youth attitudes about the perceived dangers of illicit drug use and we could have a recipe for disaster without a serious investment in prevention, the report says. The report, developed by research and policy analysis group Carnevale Associates, LLP, attributes the softening of attitudes to a lack of resources for prevention efforts, noting that between 2002 and 2008 there was a strong emphasis on drug supply reduction rather than on prevention. For example, the report notes that the previous Administration increased supply reduction efforts by 64 percent, compared to just 9 percent for demand reduction efforts. "If history repeats itself, there will be a marked increase in youth drug use as well as associated problems and health care costs," noted John Carnevale, President of Carnevale Associates, LLP. "The primary way this crisis can be averted is through a network of prevention programs that already exist but are often overlooked or underfunded by policy makers." In his research Dr. Carnevale found that prevention was the only federal drug control effort ever to be cut, compared with funding for the other key components of the budget-treatment, law enforcement, interdiction, and source country programs. In fact, prevention funding decreased by 10 percent between 2002 to 2008. The report notes that national programs that allow local solutions to local problems are the most effective, citing the Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) program and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grants as two effective programs that should be invested in. "These programs enable states and local communities to effectively and appropriately identify risk and protective factors and target attitudes that are key to reducing youth drug use," the report says. "In recent years, both programs have demonstrated positive measurable outcomes in reducing drug use and providing the necessary prevention infrastructure to advance a positive school climate as well as community health and safety." To view the full report, visit: www.carnevaleassociates.com/publications.html. Study Redefines Binge Drinking for Children and Adolescents http://www.cadca.org/CoalitionsOnline/article.asp?id=2210 A new University of Pittsburgh study calls for redefining the definition of binge drinking for children and adolescents, saying that the current criteria used to assess blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) and binge drinking behaviors is based on adult physiology. The study is published in the June issue of Pediatrics. Current standards for BACs and binge drinking in children under 18 are based on adult criteria. However, a Pitt researcher found that updating the current BAC formula to take into account differing body composition and the rates at which children and adolescents eliminate alcohol from their bodies, would redefine how many drinks constitute binge drinking for boys and girls 9 to 17 years of age. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) recently defined binge drinking as a drinking pattern that brings a person's BAC to greater than 0.08 grams per deciliter (g/dL), which is a level accompanied by significant physical and mental impairment and the level currently used to define drunk driving throughout the U.S. Typically, this means five drinks for a man or four drinks for a woman within a two-hour period. "The NIAAA definition of binge drinking was developed for adults and not for kids under 18," added Dr. Donovan. "Both children and young adolescents weigh substantially less than adults and likely would achieve considerably higher BACs with five drinks within a two-hour period or would reach a BAC greater than 0.08 g/dL with significantly fewer drinks." Dr. Donovan examined child, adolescent and adult body compositions and alcohol elimination rates from the 1999-2002 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. He then used the updated formula to estimate BACs for more than 4,700 kids and teens ages 9 to 17 for alcohol intake levels of one to five standard drinks to determine the number of drinks at each age that led to a BAC of greater than 0.08 g/dL. Based on the estimations, Dr. Donovan suggests that binge drinking should be defined as three or more drinks for 9- to 13-year-old children; four or more drinks for boys and three or more drinks for girls ages 14 or 15; and five or more drinks for boys and three or more drinks for girls ages 16 or 17. These results also suggest that the definition for heavy drinking should be modified as well. "When kids and young teens use alcohol, it puts them at heightened risk for later alcohol and drug dependence, delinquency, early pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, as well as involvement in motor vehicle crashes," added Dr. Donovan. "Since considerably fewer drinks are needed to get high BAC levels in children, pediatricians and nurse practitioners who screen kids for alcohol use should intervene at much lower levels of alcohol involvement than previously thought." Dr. Donovan's research is funded by grants from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. For more information on the research, visit www.medschool.pitt.edu. Report: Smoking declines as alcohol, drug use hold steady By Janice Lloyd Source: USA TODAY Jun 4th A new report on substance abuse and mental health shows a small percentage of people are kicking smoking while alcohol and illicit drug-use levels remain steady. But the report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, out Thursday, also carries home the message that while all states have problems, there are big variations across the U.S. For instance, the rate of illicit drug use in Iowa (5.2%) among the 12 and older set is less than half what it is in Rhode Island (12.5%). Many of the trends are similar to past studies, according to Art Hughes, one of the report's lead statisticians, but he cited "the adverse relationship between (perception of) risk of use and use itself" as worthy of examining at the state level. In states where people reported having a perception of great risk about substance abuse, the problem is more often reported at lower levels than in states where risk is not as great a concern, according to the study, based on the National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. The 2006-2007 interview data is collected from 135,672 persons and is compared to the 2005-2006 data. Smoking declined from 24.96% to 24.63% with the greatest decrease among 12 to 25 year olds. "Cigarette use continues to decline," says Hughes. "One statistic we use to try to gauge is the (perceived) risk of smoking cigarettes. If people think it's risky to use cigarettes, we tend to see an opposite effect happening." For instance, California is among the states with highest percentage of people who regard smoking as a health hazard (77.35%) and had the second lowest smoking rate (19.79%) behind Utah (17.51%). Utah's perception of risk was slightly lower (76.93%) than California's. Nationwide, a slight drop was recorded compared to 2005-2006 (74.14% vs 73.86%). West Virginia, on the other hand, has the highest rate of cigarette users of all states (31.10%) for people aged 12 and older and has the lowest perception of risk level associated with smoking (67.88%). Oklahoma and Tennessee, which ranked No. 2 and 3 behind West Virginia for percentages of smokers, were also among states with lowest perception of risk. "We're painfully aware of the problem," said Teresa Mace, media director of West Virginia's Office of Community Health Systems and Health Promotion. "We have a state tobacco quit line and other kinds of cessation programs that are offered to all West Virginians. We've gotten a lot better at getting our message to the people who need to know but it's hard to match the amounts spent by the tobacco industry." Colorado is the only state showing an increase in tobacco use (from 26.5% to 29.8%) while seven states had declines: Idaho, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New York, Utah and West Virginia. The Northeast region had a decrease as well (from 28.1% to 27.1%). Overall, national rates changed only slightly (24.6%) from the 2005-2006 report (25%). Alcohol still leads tobacco as the most commonly used substance. The perceived risk associated with binge drinking (having five or more drinks once or twice a week) also played a role in levels of drinking and binge drinking among underage drinkers. North Dakota, which ranked highest in both categories, ranked a lowly 47th among states in perception of risk. Drinking for the group of people over the age of 12 had similar results. New Hampshire, which ranked No. 3 behind Rhode Island and Connecticut, had the lowest percentage (33.21%) of perception of risk. Rhode Island and Connecticut also ranked among the lowest 10. "We produce this as a reference document for the states, " says Joe Gfroerer, director of the division of population surveys. "It can lead to more in-depth analysis and discussion about whether programs within the states can help with problems." Rhode Island had the highest percentage of persons aged 12 or older who were needing but not receiving treatment for illicit drug use. The other states that ranked highest for needing but not receiving treatment for alcohol problems were mostly midwestern (Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin) or westerm (Colorado, Montana and Wyoming.) The District of Columbia and Massachusetts are in the top 10. Confidentiality Notice: This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy/delete all copies of the original message. From Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov Mon Jun 15 15:10:07 2009 From: Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov (Goodwin, Jacinda) Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:10:07 -0400 Subject: [Prevention] Prevention News Message-ID: <85EFB83FC912D542B4A480D9B1590DD306544F9A@SOM-TEAQASMAIL5.som.w2k.state.me.us> Dear Prevention Colleagues, Below is the substance abuse prevention funding and news. The source of this information is noted in each section. Please follow up with contact information found associated with each article or go to the sites listed below. If you wish to post information that you believe would be pertinent to your prevention colleagues please forward that information to me at Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov for review and possible posting. Search the Maine Prevention Calendar for upcoming trainings, conferences, and workshops (you can also submit statewide and regional events for posting): www.mainepreventioncalendar.org HHS' SAMHSA's CSAP's IN THE NEWS NOW FEATURED ON THE TOO SMART TO START WEB SITE The In the News newsroom, now featured on the Too Smart To Start (TSTS) web site (http://www.toosmarttostart.samhsa.gov/ ), keeps individuals and organizations informed with the latest news on underage drinking. Sponsored by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), the newsroom is updated regularly with local, State, and national articles published by online sources. Sources include the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and its key partners, mainstream media, government agencies, and other reputable producers of news content. The newsroom features an archive for retrieval of past articles and a searchable database to make finding articles easier. Senate, House Approve FDA Tobacco Bill June 13, 2009 News Summary http://www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2009/senate-house-a pprove-fda.html The U.S. Senate and House have voted in favor of a bill that would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate tobacco and imposes new restrictions on tobacco marketing and ingredients, the Washington Post reported June 11. The 79-17 Senate vote and 307-97 vote in the House send the measure to President Obama, who said the bill was "a long time coming" and promised to sign it into law. "Miracles still happen," said lead legislative sponsor Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), who has brain cancer and has been absent from the capital during the debate on the tobacco bill. "The United States Senate has finally said 'no' to Big Tobacco." Tobacco-state lawmakers in the Senate failed to muster up enough support for a promised filibuster to block the bill. Cigarette maker Philip Morris supported the measure but other tobacco companies opposed it. Included in the bill are requirements for graphic warnings on cigarette packages and a ban on most tobacco flavorings, although not the most popular one, menthol. Tobacco firms would also be required to disclose the ingredients of their products, and the FDA would have the power to limit, but not eliminate, the amount of nicotine in cigarettes. Lower Drinking Age Associated with Poor Birth Outcomes June 11, 2009 Research Summary http://www.jointogether.org/news/research/summaries/2009/lower-drinking- age-associated.html A new study from the University of Georgia concludes that lowering the legal drinking age could affect the rate of unplanned pregnancies and pre-term births among young women. The findings suggest that lowering the drinking age makes alcohol more accessible to young people, which could lead to an increase in unplanned pregnancies. Unexpected pregnancies, in turn, result in negative birth outcomes for infants, since teens who get pregnant unexpectedly are less likely to get good prenatal care and may not be as interested in the child as someone who had planned to get pregnant, according to Angela Fertig, one of the authors of the study and an assistant professor at the UGA College of Public Health. Researchers studied birth records and survey information on alcohol use from 1978 to 1988, a time period when state laws on the minimum drinking age fluctuated. The study found that when the drinking age was 18, the rate of prenatal alcohol consumption among 18- to 20-year-old women increased by 21 percent, and the likelihood of women younger than 21 having a low-birth weight baby increased by 6 percent. The study also found that African-American women were disproportionately impacted, with a drinking age of 18 associated with a 25-percent greater probability of an unplanned pregnancy. Fertig said she hoped the study will help broaden the discussion about lowering the legal drinking age. "There are consequences to lowering the drinking age beside traffic fatalities," said Fertig. "There's the potentially big effect on birth outcomes, and to me that argues that we should leave the minimum drinking age where it is." The study appeared in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of Health Economics . Confidentiality Notice: This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy/delete all copies of the original message. From Anne.Rogers at maine.gov Tue Jun 16 07:42:07 2009 From: Anne.Rogers at maine.gov (Rogers, Anne) Date: Tue, 16 Jun 2009 07:42:07 -0400 Subject: [Prevention] college drinking Message-ID: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services=20 NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH NIH News=20 Embargoed for Release: Monday, June 15, 2009, 12:15 a.m. EDT AS COLLEGE DRINKING PROBLEMS RISE, NEW STUDIES IDENTIFY EFFECTIVE PREVENTION STRATEGIES Alcohol-related deaths among U.S. college students rose from 1,440 deaths in 1998 to 1,825 in 2005, along with increases in heavy drinking and drunk driving, according to an article in the July supplement of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. The special issue describes the results of a broad array of research-based programs to reduce and prevent alcohol-related problems at campuses across the country. These studies resulted from the Rapid Response to College Drinking Problems Initiative, a grant program supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), part of the National Institutes of Health. "This supplement is a valuable resource that underscores the growing number of research-driven strategies that college administrators and health officials can put in place to address serious student drinking problems," says Acting NIAAA Director Kenneth Warren, Ph.D. Reviewing the magnitude of the college alcohol problem, Ralph W. Hingson, Sc.D, M.P.H., director of NIAAA's Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research, and colleagues analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other government sources. They found that serious problems persist, as indicated by the increase in drinking-related accidental deaths among 18- to 24-year-old students, which resulted mainly from traffic-related incidents. In addition, the researchers found the proportion of students who reported recent heavy episodic drinking -- sometimes called binge drinking, defined as five or more alcoholic drinks on any occasion in the past 30 days -- rose from roughly 42 percent to 45 percent, and the proportion who admitted to drinking and driving in the past year increased from 26.5 percent to 29 percent. "These are tragically and unacceptably high figures that indicate an urgent need for colleges and surrounding communities to implement evidence-based prevention and counseling programs," says Dr. Hingson. The results of NIAAA's rapid response grants, he says, demonstrate the wide range of individual, group, and community-level approaches that can influence student behavior and challenge the culture of college drinking.=20 Through the initiative, NIAAA scientists worked with 15 colleges facing alcohol-related crises, pairing them with five multidisciplinary teams of prevention and intervention experts. The collaboration yielded a mix of programs that showed different benefits. Examples from their findings include the following:=20 -- James F. Schaus, M.D., and colleagues at the University of Central Florida found that brief motivational interviews proved effective for high risk drinkers seen in a busy college health clinic. Compared to a control group, students who participated in two sessions reported consuming less alcohol six months later and had fewer drinking-related problems nine months later.=20 -- Hortensia Amaro, Ph.D., and colleagues at Northeastern University in Boston developed a one-on-one counseling program for students with alcohol and drug policy violations. Six months later, students who received the intervention were drinking less than counterparts who had not been through the program.=20 -- Joseph A. LaBrie and colleagues at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles evaluated the long-term effectiveness of a motivational-enhancement group intervention for first-year college women. Participants consumed significantly less alcohol across 10 weeks of follow-up, but not at six-month follow-up, suggesting the need for booster sessions during the first year of college.=20 -- Two separate studies developed programs in which colleges worked closely with their surrounding communities, using measures such as increased police patrols in problem neighborhoods and raising student awareness of their responsibilities as community residents. The studies found reductions in heavy drinking and a decrease in the number of off-campus incidents involving students. =20 One study was led by Mark D. Wood, Ph.D., of the University of Rhode Island, and the other by Robert F. Saltz, Ph.D., of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, working with two universities in Washington state. =20 -- Another study found that colleges have made online alcohol-policy information more available and accessible to students, parents, and other interested parties. This shift may reflect a greater engagement of colleges and universities in the issue of drinking on campus in general, according to lead author Vivian B. Faden, Ph.D., acting director of NIAAA's Office of Science Policy and Communications.=20 Dr. Warren notes that the rapid response grants grew out of the recommendations from the 2002 report of the NIAAA-sponsored Task Force on College Drinking. He adds that NIAAA remains committed to working with academic leaders and researchers to bridge the gap from research to practice in developing evidence-based college alcohol prevention and treatment programs.=20 The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health, is the primary U.S. agency for conducting and supporting research on the causes, consequences, prevention, and treatment of alcohol abuse, alcoholism, and alcohol problems, and disseminates research findings to general, professional, and academic audiences. Additional alcohol research information and publications are available at . This NIH News Release is available online at: . From Farese.Joseph at jobcorps.org Mon Jun 22 10:58:54 2009 From: Farese.Joseph at jobcorps.org (Joseph Farese) Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 10:58:54 -0400 Subject: [Prevention] posting to list Message-ID: <200906221504.LAA15678@www.informe.org> Farese.Joseph at jobcoprs.org From Anne.Rogers at maine.gov Mon Jun 22 12:51:45 2009 From: Anne.Rogers at maine.gov (Rogers, Anne) Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:51:45 -0400 Subject: [Prevention] 2009 OSA Prevention Provider Day - Call for Presentations Message-ID: Dear Substance Abuse Prevention Providers, The Maine Office of Substance Abuse is proud to host its 6th Annual Prevention Provider Day-to be held at the Spectacular Events Center in Bangor, Maine November 5, 2009. The conference will focus on the many facets of providing Substance Abuse Prevention strategies, programs, and practices successfully. A forum for substance abuse prevention providers to exchange information, develop skills, and foster collaboration and coordination will also be provided. Candidate Topics for Abstracts-OSA is requesting abstracts for oral presentations that are applicable to the substance abuse prevention field. This year's theme is "Across the Prevention Competency Divide." We are seeking proposals that address at least one of the following categories: - Policy Development and Change - Collaboration - Media and Communications - Education - Enforcement To Be Considered for Presentation: Proposals must be received by August 1, 2009. Attached are the directions and form to use to send in your proposal to present. Anne Rogers, M.Ed., CHES SPF SIG Coordinator Office of Substance Abuse 11 SHS, 41 Anthony Ave. Augusta, ME 04333-0011 207-287-4706 www.maineosa.org Directions to OSA'a new office, 41 Anthony Ave., are now up on our web site at: http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/osa/about/maps.htm Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved through understanding. - Albert Einstein Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy/delete all copies of the original message. From Anne.Rogers at maine.gov Tue Jun 23 07:30:16 2009 From: Anne.Rogers at maine.gov (Rogers, Anne) Date: Tue, 23 Jun 2009 07:30:16 -0400 Subject: [Prevention] FW: Prevention Convention Survey and MAPSA Coordinator Message-ID: Good afternoon everyone, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and ask you to fill out this survey regarding OSA Prevention Provider's Day and the 3rd annual Maine Prevention Convention. My name is Melissa Boyd, the new Coordinator of the Maine Alliance to Prevent Substance Abuse (MAPSA) at the Maine Association of Substance Abuse Programs. I have over fifteen years of experience in program development, community organizing and advocacy as well as public relations and marketing. In my role as Director of KEYS of Promise, a project of York Hospital for over two years, I helped to coordinate prevention activities funded in part by the Maine Office of Substance Abuse. As Executive Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility Maine Chapter, I was instrumental in organizing the medical voice to help pass "An Act to Protect Children's Health from Toxic Chemicals" in partnership with the Alliance for a Clean and Healthy Maine. My BA is in Communications/Public Relations from the University of Southern Maine and a Master's in Public Policy and Management from The Muskie School at the University of Southern Maine. The Prevention Convention will take place on November 5th and 6th this year at Spectacular Events in Bangor and is sponsored by The Maine Office of Substance Abuse's Prevention Team, the Maine Alliance for the Prevention of Substance Abuse (MAPSA) and Adcare Educational. We value your input on the development of the Prevention Convention, so please take a few minutes to click the link below and let us know your thoughts and ideas: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=o15iv6b4m72Ndr0OpnPZLg_3d_3d I look forward to working with all of you to advance policy solutions to address substance abuse issues in the state of Maine. Best, Melissa -- Melissa A. Boyd, MPPM Coordinator Maine Alliance to Prevent Substance Abuse 295 Water Street Suite 200 Augusta, Maine 04330 (207) 621-8118 Cel (207) 458-2257 Fax (207) 621-8362 Visit us on the web www.masap.org/site/prevention.asp "We cannot solve our problems with the same kind of thinking that created them" Albert Einstein From Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov Wed Jun 24 12:28:10 2009 From: Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov (Goodwin, Jacinda) Date: Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:28:10 -0400 Subject: [Prevention] Prevention News Message-ID: <85EFB83FC912D542B4A480D9B1590DD306544FCA@SOM-TEAQASMAIL5.som.w2k.state.me.us> Dear Prevention Colleagues, Below is the substance abuse prevention funding and news. The source of this information is noted in each section. Please follow up with contact information found associated with each article or go to the sites listed below. If you wish to post information that you believe would be pertinent to your prevention colleagues please forward that information to me at Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov for review and possible posting. Search the Maine Prevention Calendar for upcoming trainings, conferences, and workshops (you can also submit statewide and regional events for posting): www.mainepreventioncalendar.org ONLINE COURSE ANNOUNCEMENT Social Marketing When? Monday, July 20 - Friday, July 24, 2009 How much? Free! Registration will open Monday, June 29th at 10 a.m. http://www.northeastcapt.org/registration This course is one in a series of distance learning programs developed by CSAP'S Northeast CAPT to strengthen the capacity of community- and state-level practitioners to promote effective prevention practices. This 5-day, interactive workshop offers an introduction to basic social marketing techniques, as well as strategies for applying these techniques to prevention activities. As a participant in this online workshop, you will have an opportunity to: * Examine social marketing's foundation * Explore how advertising techniques can be used to promote healthy behavior * Learn a 10-step process for developing effective social marketing campaigns * Practice analyzing an audience and applying basic social marketing techniques * Log on to the course web site at least once a day, at your convenience * Review materials * Complete online assignments designed to help you apply what you have learned * Participate in moderated, web-based discussions Participants who complete all assignments will receive a certificate for 5 hours of participation. * Licensed alcohol and drug counselors and assistants from Massachusetts can submit this certificate to the Alcohol and Drug Counselor Licensing Unit to receive continuing education hours. * Participants from New York can submit this certificate to New York State's Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) to receive Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor (CASAC), Credentialed Prevention Specialist (CPS) or Credentialed Prevention Professional (CPP) credit hours. * Participants from Pennsylvania can submit this certificate to the Pennsylvania Certification Board (PCB) to receive PCB credits. * Participants from Rhode Island can submit this certificate to the Rhode Island Board for the Certification of Chemical Dependence Professionals to receive continuing education credits. The Northeast CAPT is a NAADAC approved education provider. Our provider number is 556. Michael J. Rosati is a technical advisor and former Director of CSAP's Northeast CAPT. An experienced trainer, Michael brings over 20 years of experience working to support state government agencies, community groups, and public schools address alcohol and other drug issues. Registration will open Monday, June 29th at 10 a.m. http://www.northeastcapt.org/registration Enrollment will be determined on a first come, first served basis. For more information, contact Melanie Adler, Manager of Distance Learning Programs, at madler at edc.org (617-618-2309). Confidentiality Notice: This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy/delete all copies of the original message. From Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov Thu Jun 25 12:30:37 2009 From: Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov (Goodwin, Jacinda) Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2009 12:30:37 -0400 Subject: [Prevention] Prevention News Message-ID: <85EFB83FC912D542B4A480D9B1590DD306544FD0@SOM-TEAQASMAIL5.som.w2k.state.me.us> Dear Prevention Colleagues, Below is the substance abuse prevention funding and news. The source of this information is noted in each section. Please follow up with contact information found associated with each article or go to the sites listed below. If you wish to post information that you believe would be pertinent to your prevention colleagues please forward that information to me at Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov for review and possible posting. Search the Maine Prevention Calendar for upcoming trainings, conferences, and workshops (you can also submit statewide and regional events for posting): www.mainepreventioncalendar.org CHILD TRENDS RELEASES NEW REPORT-ADOLESCENTS AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA: GROWING UP PLUGGED IN Adolescents and Electronic Media: Growing up Plugged In, released by Child Trends, explores the various health outcomes of electronic media world on children and adolescents. This brief looked at the body of research associating violence to media consumption including television and video games. Further, adolescents exposed to smoking and alcohol use in the media are more likely to smoke and/or drink alcohol. It is noted that little research has focused on the association between sexual activity and media consumption. Ergonomic injuries, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and cancer have also been attributed to media consumption in some research studies. Importantly, the brief identifies the positive health influences of media including the fact that 28% of adolescents use the Internet to access information regarding health, dieting, and physical exercise. The report continues to address the social development impacts of media, impact on education, and access to media. These elements are all important in understanding the effects of increased media consumption for today's youth and adolescents. For further information, visit: http://www.childtrends.org/_listRB.cfm?LID=4248444D-4BC4-49DB-B9CAE91EF7 CCC712#Early%20Childhood%20Development For a free download of the report, visit: http://www.childtrends.org/Files//Child_Trends-2009_05_26_RB_AdolElecMed ia.pdf SOURCE: The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools Weekly Insider, June 10, 2009 HHS' NIAAA STUDY FINDS ALCOHOL-RELATED DEATHS, HEAVY DRINKING EPISODES AND DRUNK DRIVING ARE ON THE RISE ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES Alcohol-related deaths, heavy drinking episodes and drunk driving have all been on the rise on college campuses over the past decade, a new government study shows. Using figures from government databases and national surveys on alcohol use, researchers at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) found that drinking-related accidental deaths among 18- to 24-year-old students have been creeping upward -- from 1,440 in 1998 to 1,825 in 2005. At the same time, the proportion of students who reported recent heavy episodic drinking (sometimes called "binge drinking") rose from roughly 42 percent to 45 percent, and the proportion who admitted to drinking and driving in the past year increased from 26.5 percent to 29 percent. "The fact that we're not making progress is very concerning," says lead researcher Ralph Hingson, Sc.D., M.P.H., director of the NIAAA's division of epidemiology and prevention research. "The irony," he adds, "is that during this same time period, our knowledge of what works as far as intervention in this age group has increased. That knowledge isn't yet being put into place." Hingson and his colleagues report the findings in a special supplemental issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs devoted to college drinking problems. Fourteen studies in the issue report the results of projects funded by the NIAAA's Rapid Response to College Drinking Problems initiative -- which, between 2004 and 2005, selected 15 college campuses with serious student-drinking issues to work with the agency and other experts in developing programs to combat the problem. The resulting programs ranged from the individual level -- like counseling for students found to have drinking problems -- to community-level efforts that involved law enforcement and residents of neighborhoods surrounding college campuses. All showed their own benefits. It's likely, according to Hingson, that a mix of programs at these different levels is needed to best address problem drinking on college campuses. "There's no silver bullet for this," he says, "but the more levels at which we try to intervene, the more effective we'll be. Colleges and communities need to work together, because neither can do it alone." Broader legislation may also make a difference. Hingson and his colleagues found that although drinking and driving was more common among college students in 2005 than in 1998, the trend actually began to reverse course during that time: in 2002, just over 31 percent of students had driven under the influence in previous year; in 2005, that figure was 29 percent. Hingson points out that in 2000, only 17 U.S. states had made it illegal to drive with a blood alcohol content of .08 percent or higher; by 2005, all had adopted that limit. That, he says, may at least partially account for the dip in college students' drinking and driving. Similarly, state laws that set the legal drinking age at 21 have been credited with reducing alcohol-related road deaths. An "interesting" finding from this study, Hingson notes, is that the increases in heavy episodic drinking, drinking and driving, and alcohol-related deaths were seen among 21- to 24-year-olds, and not 18- to 20-year-olds. Hingson, R.W., Zha, W., and Weitzman, E.R. Magnitude of and Trends in Alcohol-Related Mortality and Morbidity Among U.S. College Students Ages 18-24, 1998-2005. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, Supplement No. 16: 12-20, July 2009. NEW HHS' SAMHSA ANALYSIS OF 2007 NHSDUH SHOW THAT A MAJORITY OF YOUTHS SAY THEIR PARENTS ARE INVOLVED IN THEIR LIVES AND WOULD DISAPPROVE OF THEIR SUBSTANCE ABUSE Between 89% and 93% of youths say that their parents would strongly disapprove of their drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, or using marijuana, according to analysis of data from the 2007 National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health. The majority of youths also report that their parents are actively involved in their lives, as shown by the fact that their parents always or sometimes let them know when they had done a good job (86.2%), made them do chores around the house (87.8%), and provided help with homework (80.9%). However, perceived disapproval of substance use and parental involvement decreased as youths got older. For example, 93.8% of youths ages 12 or 13 report that their parents would strongly disapprove of their alcohol use, compared to 85.2% of youths ages 16 or 17 (data not shown). According to the authors, "previous research shows that youths who perceive that their parents disapprove of substance use and who report that their parents are involved in their day-to-day activities are less likely than those who do not to use alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drugs"(p. 3). That these factors decreased as youths got older indicates a need for increased parental communication and involvement in the later teen years. The full report is available online at: http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k9/159/ParentInvolvement.cfm . SOURCE: Adapted by the Center for Substance Abuse Research (CESAR), Univ. of Maryland, June 15, 2009Vol. 18, Issue 23, from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), "Parental Involvement in Preventing Youth Substance Use, "The NSDUH Report, May 28, 2009. A new study > from the University of Georgia concludes that lowering the legal drinking age could affect the rate of unplanned pregnancies and pre-term births among young women. The findings suggest that lowering the drinking age makes alcohol more accessible to young people, which could lead to an increase in unplanned pregnancies. Unexpected pregnancies, in turn, result in negative birth outcomes for infants, since teens who get pregnant unexpectedly are less likely to get good prenatal care and may not be as interested in the child as someone who had planned to get pregnant, according to Angela Fertig, one of the authors of the study and an assistant professor at the UGA College of Public Health. Researchers studied birth records and survey information on alcohol use from 1978 to 1988, a time period when state laws on the minimum drinking age fluctuated. The study found that when the drinking age was 18, the rate of prenatal alcohol consumption among 18- to 20-year-old women increased by 21 percent, and the likelihood of women younger than 21 having a low-birth weight baby increased by 6 percent. The study also found that African-American women were disproportionately impacted, with a drinking age of 18 associated with a 25-percent greater probability of an unplanned pregnancy. Fertig said she hoped the study will help broaden the discussion about lowering the legal drinking age. "There are consequences to lowering the drinking age beside traffic fatalities," said Fertig. "There's the potentially big effect on birth outcomes, and to me that argues that we should leave the minimum drinking age where it is." The study appeared in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of Health Economics - Confidentiality Notice: This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy/delete all copies of the original message. From Anne.Rogers at maine.gov Fri Jun 26 06:44:40 2009 From: Anne.Rogers at maine.gov (Rogers, Anne) Date: Fri, 26 Jun 2009 06:44:40 -0400 Subject: [Prevention] FW: substance abuse prevention program Message-ID: Please read below and respond to Adrienne Gallant (adgallant at myfairpoint.net) if you have suggestions. ________________________________ From: Adrienne Gallant [mailto:adgallant at myfairpoint.net] Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 4:22 PM To: Rogers, Anne Subject: substance abuse prevention program Hi Anne, I received a call from a young lady, she's 19 and is going to college in Colorado. She was drinking with some friends out there and they felt that she had consumed enough alcohol to warrant bringing her to the hospital. I didn't get all the details but I'm assuming that the hospital reported the incident, she had a court date, and the court mandated that she complete some type of alcohol prevention program/diversion program (?), to be completed by July 14th (the incident occurred in March). She is vacationing in Maine at the moment and would like to complete a program here if possible, but her mother lives in New Hampshire so if there was something available for her there she could manage that as well. Do you know of anything in Maine that she could participate in (or NH)? She wasn't driving so that eliminates DEEP. Could you put the question out to the SPF-SIG listserv to see if anyone else has any suggestions, or might be running a program themselves that this girl could attend? Thanks, Adrienne Adrienne Gallant, Substance Abuse Prevention Program Specialist Knox County Community Health Coalition (KCCHC)* A Healthy Maine Partnership PO Box 1336 Rockland, ME 04841 Ph: 207-594-5440x3; Fax: 207-594-5488 adgallant at myfairpoint.net *KCCHC - Community Outreach, Penobscot Bay YMCA "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."--Albert Einstein From mfochesato at midcoasthealth.com Fri Jun 26 08:34:04 2009 From: mfochesato at midcoasthealth.com (Fochesato, Melissa) Date: Fri, 26 Jun 2009 08:34:04 -0400 Subject: [Prevention] substance abuse prevention program In-Reply-To: Message-ID: <2A655D994EA77D43B1FBD8C4B5552B2E64044E1B8B@mchex2k7.mch.midcoasthealth.com> FYI, I sent this question to the Director of our Addiction Resource Center who said they do this for college students "all the time" - so if you run into anyone in the Mid Coast area, feel free to send them to ARC for a free initial screening and assistance getting this requirement met. http://www.midcoasthealth.com/addiction/default.aspx Hope some of you are enjoying the little bit of sun peeking out occasionally. Melissa Fochesato -----Original Message----- From: prevention-bounces at informe.org [mailto:prevention-bounces at informe.org] On Behalf Of Rogers, Anne Sent: Friday, June 26, 2009 6:45 AM To: prevention at lists.maine.gov Subject: [Prevention] FW: substance abuse prevention program Importance: High Please read below and respond to Adrienne Gallant (adgallant at myfairpoint.net) if you have suggestions. ________________________________ From: Adrienne Gallant [mailto:adgallant at myfairpoint.net] Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 4:22 PM To: Rogers, Anne Subject: substance abuse prevention program Hi Anne, I received a call from a young lady, she's 19 and is going to college in Colorado. She was drinking with some friends out there and they felt that she had consumed enough alcohol to warrant bringing her to the hospital. I didn't get all the details but I'm assuming that the hospital reported the incident, she had a court date, and the court mandated that she complete some type of alcohol prevention program/diversion program (?), to be completed by July 14th (the incident occurred in March). She is vacationing in Maine at the moment and would like to complete a program here if possible, but her mother lives in New Hampshire so if there was something available for her there she could manage that as well. Do you know of anything in Maine that she could participate in (or NH)? She wasn't driving so that eliminates DEEP. Could you put the question out to the SPF-SIG listserv to see if anyone else has any suggestions, or might be running a program themselves that this girl could attend? Thanks, Adrienne Adrienne Gallant, Substance Abuse Prevention Program Specialist Knox County Community Health Coalition (KCCHC)* A Healthy Maine Partnership PO Box 1336 Rockland, ME 04841 Ph: 207-594-5440x3; Fax: 207-594-5488 adgallant at myfairpoint.net *KCCHC - Community Outreach, Penobscot Bay YMCA "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."--Albert Einstein _______________________________________________ Prevention mailing list Prevention at lists.maine.gov http://mailman.informe.org/mailman/listinfo/prevention From Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov Mon Jun 29 11:33:25 2009 From: Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov (Goodwin, Jacinda) Date: Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:33:25 -0400 Subject: [Prevention] Prevetion News Message-ID: <85EFB83FC912D542B4A480D9B1590DD306544FF5@SOM-TEAQASMAIL5.som.w2k.state.me.us> Dear Prevention Colleagues, Below is the substance abuse prevention funding and news. The source of this information is noted in each section. Please follow up with contact information found associated with each article or go to the sites listed below. If you wish to post information that you believe would be pertinent to your prevention colleagues please forward that information to me at Jacinda.Goodwin at maine.gov for review and possible posting. Search the Maine Prevention Calendar for upcoming trainings, conferences, and workshops (you can also submit statewide and regional events for posting): www.mainepreventioncalendar.org Healthcare Reform Must Prioritize Treatment for Addictions, Mental Health, Report Says http://www.jointogether.org/news/features/2009/healthcare-reform-must.ht ml June 25, 2009 News Feature by Bob Curley Any effort to reform the U.S. healthcare system must make behavioral healthcare a priority, treat the "whole person" not just disease symptoms, and eliminate the stigma and system fragmentation that stand in the way of patients seeking treatment and preventative services, according to a consensus statement issued by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). "As lawmakers seek to revamp America's health care system, the prevention and treatment of mental and substance-use disorders must play a foundational role in reforms and be given equal weight to medical care provisions," according to the document, "Ensuring U.S. Health Reform Includes Prevention and Treatment of Mental and Substance Use Disorders -- A Framework for Discussion" (PDF ). "There is no health without addressing mental and substance-use disorders and it is time to give Americans the comprehensive care and support they need and deserve," the report stated. The consensus statement was released in late May by SAMHSA just as healthcare-reform discussions were heating up in earnest on Capitol Hill. It includes a list of nine "Core Consensus Principles for Reform" based on input from "hundreds of stakeholder and consumer groups and dozens of nationally and internationally recognized experts in the fields of mental health and addictions," according to the agency. The American Society of Addiction Medicine, National Alliance on Mental Illness, the National Council of Community Behavioral Healthcare, and Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America were among the groups that provided input into the report. "Despite the broad range of organizations and areas of focus we surveyed, there were clear themes running through the responses we received," the report noted. "With consistency and solidarity, mental health and substance-abuse professionals, consumers, and family members from every part of the country, every cultural and socioeconomic group, and every diagnosis and condition spoke with a single voice: Our nation is crying out for a health system that makes prevention and treatment for mental and substance use disorders a priority rather than an afterthought, that considers the whole person rather than physical symptoms alone, and that seeks to eliminate the stigma and fragmented systems that interfere with Americans' ability to access necessary preventive and treatment services fundamental to achieving recovery and enabling them to lead healthy and productive lives." The Core Principles elucidated by SAMHSA included: 1. Articulate a national health and wellness plan for all Americans that "provides for comprehensive, community-wide prevention, screening, health, and wellness services from infancy through old age." "The plan should provide for public education, prevention, early intervention, treatment, and recovery services, and must be a holistic, standardized system that emphasizes promoting wellness and resilience, preventing risky and unhealthy behaviors before they occur to avoid the onset of illness or drug use, and addressing symptoms when they first emerge rather than waiting until they become acute or chronic," according to the consensus statement. 2. Legislate universal coverage of health insurance with full parity. "Simply talking about parity in private insurance coverage for mental and substance use disorders is not enough," according to the document. "Equal treatment for people with serious mental illness and substance use disorders must mean access to effective services and high-quality care." 3. Achieve improved health and long-term fiscal sustainability. "There is a substantial body of evidence to demonstrate that providing adequate levels of mental and substance use disorders prevention and treatment services as well as integrating these services with primary health care can improve outcomes; cut and/or control the growth of overall health care costs; lessen the rate, duration, and intensity of disability of many illnesses; improve productivity; and control the size and growth of other social costs," the document stated. 4. Eradicate fragmentation by requiring coordination and integration of care for physical, mental, and substance-use conditions. 5. Provide for a full range of prevention, early intervention, treatment and recovery services that embodies a whole-health approach. "Addressing physical health including mental and substance use disorders through effective prevention efforts that promote healthy environments, norms, and behaviors rather than waiting for the development of full-blown acute or chronic diseases is the most cost-effective approach," the SAMHSA paper said. 6. Implement national standards for clinical and quality outcomes tied to reimbursement and accountability. The consensus statement said that establishing "specific and measurable" outcomes criteria is an "essential element" of healthcare reform, adding, "Reimbursement guidelines and benefits should be tied to need and severity regardless of payer." "These guidelines must link quality improvement with reimbursement and both encourage and reward the use of evidence-based practices without restricting coverage for those consumers who may not achieve desired outcomes with the least-costly alternative," according to the consensus statement. 7. Adopt and fully utilize health information technology, including electronic health records that allow providers to share information and improve data collection aimed at improving access to and quality of care. 8. Invest in the prevention, treatment and recovery-support workforce. "Lack of adequate health care for mental and substance use conditions is a constant cycle exacerbated by a system that has failed to grow with the needs of a quickly expanding society and has not equipped its workforce with the right tools and experience to provide sorely needed care," the consensus group stated. "It must become a National priority to increase the mental and substance use disorders workforce and provide appropriate compensation and professional support for these key members of the U.S. health system." 9. Ensure a safety net for people with the most serious and disabling mental and substance-use disorders. "We can ill afford to dismantle the current safety net of block grants to states and other resources that in many states and communities are the only blockade between even higher rates of risky behaviors, illness, disability, death, health care costs, and lost productivity," the report said. "Assuming expanded access to private and public insurance (Medicaid) for people with mental and substance use disorders will require a reexamination of the role of the public system at the local, state, and federal levels. Absent clear evidence that newly substituted health reform programs, systems, and processes are fully implemented and effective, it is imperative that our nation's current safety net that finances health services, including school and community-based prevention programs and treatment programs for mental and substance use disorders, not be dismantled prematurely." Alexa Eggleston, director of public policy for the National Council of Community Behavioral Healthcare, said that the consensus statement would be useful in providing background and educating the public and lawmakers about key concerns regarding addiction, mental health, and healthcare reform. "From that perspective it's helpful," she said, although Eggleston also stressed the need for the behavioral healthcare field to draft legislative language for healthcare reform and for SAMHSA to "assert its role" in advocating for inclusion of addiction and mental health benefits in emerging legislation. Consensus Reflected in Other Field Documents, Priorities Recommendations forwarded to Congress by the Coalition for Whole Health , which is being coordinated by the Legal Action Center, include legislative language that advocates would like to see incorporated into the House and Senate healthcare reform bills (PDF ). The coalition recommendations echo many of the priorities cited in the SAMHSA consensus document, including recognition of addiction and mental illnesses as preventable and treatable health conditions, a call for parity coverage, and maintenance of so-called "safety-net" programs like the addiction and mental-health block grants to states. The SAMHSA consensus statements regarding information technology and workforce development also are among the top current priorities for addiction and mental health advocates working on national healthcare reform, added Eggleston, along with efforts to get Congress to recognize addiction as a chronic illness. Congress has been debating proposals that would extend healthcare to all Americans -- perhaps by creating a government-run "public option" health insurance plan that would compete with private health insurance. This week, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius appeared before the House Energy and Commerce Committee to press lawmakers to take decisive action on healthcare reform, while also signaling that the Obama administration remains flexible about how reform is accomplished and how it is funded. "At this point the questions are so much bigger than individual illnesses," noted Eggleston, who said that Congress appears more likely to punt more detailed discussions to a commission after the broad outlines of the reform plan are in place. "Delving into what a benefits package looks like doesn't seem likely to happen legislatively," she said. However, coverage for addiction and mental illness treatment is included as part of the "essential" benefit outlined in both the House bill and the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee bill, noted David Rosenbloom, Ph.D., president and CEO of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. "Coverage for addiction treatment is a key part of the solution to affordable health care reform," said Rosenbloom. "Research has shown that when individuals get good addiction treatment, their families' regular medical expenses decline almost immediately, producing large net savings to the entire health system. So far, the Congressional committees seem to recognize this important fact by including addiction treatment in their draft bills." Study: Off-Campus Drinking Can be Curbed with Community's Help http://www.jointogether.org/news/research/summaries/2009/study-off-campu s-drinking.html June 26, 2009 Research Summary A new study concludes that off-campus drinking by college students was reduced 27 percent by implementing community-level prevention programs, Reuters reported on June 18. Researchers surveyed more than 6,000 students and found a significant decrease in the percentage who reported binge drinking during the previous two weeks at a pair of schools that implemented community-based programs; meanwhile, the binge drinking rose among students at a control school that did not have a community-based prevention strategy. Frequency of binge drinking at the intervention schools also remained stable, while it increased significantly at the control school, the study found. Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash., used the Neighborhoods Engaging with Students (NEST) program, which involved increasing police patrols to find off-campus parties and enforcement of underage drinking laws, as well as providing forums for students, local residents and police to talk about issues such as disruptive parties. Underage students cited for alcohol possession were also required to perform community service. Researcher Robert F. Saltz, Ph.D., of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation and colleagues said, "The prevention field has reason to be optimistic that environmental interventions can achieve good outcomes in a relatively short time across very different organizational contexts," although the authors added that "it may prove difficult to maintain students' attention to the enforcement after the novelty wears off." The study is published in the July 2009 issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs . Confidentiality Notice: This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy/delete all copies of the original message. From Anne.Rogers at maine.gov Tue Jun 30 08:14:29 2009 From: Anne.Rogers at maine.gov (Rogers, Anne) Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:14:29 -0400 Subject: [Prevention] 2009 OSA Prevention Provider Day - Call for Proposals Message-ID: Dear Substance Abuse Prevention Providers, The Maine Office of Substance Abuse is proud to host its 6th Annual Prevention Provider Day-to be held at the Spectacular Events Center in Bangor, Maine November 5, 2009. The conference will focus on the many facets of providing Substance Abuse Prevention strategies, programs, and practices successfully. A forum for substance abuse prevention providers to exchange information, develop skills, and foster collaboration and coordination will also be provided. Candidate Topics for Abstracts-OSA is requesting abstracts for oral presentations that are applicable to the substance abuse prevention field. This year's theme is "Maine's Prevention Workforce: Learning, Sharing, Developing, & Working." We are seeking proposals that address at least one of the following categories: - Policy Development and Change - Collaboration - Media and Communications - Education - Enforcement To Be Considered for Presentation: Proposals must be received by August 1, 2009. You can download the Form (word or pdf) and for more instructions at: http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/osa/prevention/provider/workdevevents.htm http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/osa/prevention/provider/documents/Call%20for%2 0Present%20form.doc Anne Rogers, M.Ed., CHES SPF SIG Coordinator Office of Substance Abuse 11 SHS, 41 Anthony Ave. Augusta, ME 04333-0011 207-287-4706 www.maineosa.org Directions to OSA'a new office, 41 Anthony Ave., are now up on our web site at: http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/osa/about/maps.htm Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved through understanding. - Albert Einstein Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure, or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy/delete all copies of the original message.