NORTHEAST: The Northeast ATTC is conducting a survey of its newsletter Resource Links. We would like to hear your feedback on Resource Links and what we can do to improve it. Please consider helping us out by completing our brief online survey. The survey should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete. All responses will be kept confidential and no personal information will be collected or reported. You will be helping us to improve Resource Links and make it even more relevant to the field. If you complete the survey before September 5th, you may choose to enter your email address into a raffle for a $25 gift certificate to Target or Starbucks or a $25 VISA card – your choice! The winner will be selected at random and will be notified by September 12th.
Please follow the link below to our survey (or paste in your browser)::
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If you have any questions at all please feel free to contact Eric G. Hulsey, DrPH, MA; ehulsey@ireta.org

CARIBBEAN BASIN: On August 26, 2008 the Caribbean Basin & Hispanic ATTC, the Administration of Mental Health and Anti-Addiction Services of Puerto Rico (SSA), Mayor Office of Caguas Municipality and Representatives of the Recovery Community will present “New Approach for Addiction Recovery”, in preparation for September’s Recovery Month. This conference will promote a recovery collaborative system of care for alcohol and drug dependent individuals. Its main objective is for participants to understand the need of a network of systems of care with various collaborative organizations and community and peer supports than can provide services to address the multiple patients’ needs for recovery. Drug addiction will be conceptualized as a chronic treatable brain disease with episodes of relapse expected. SAMHSA’s vision toward recovery will be discussed by Ivette Torres, who develops national communication strategies and campaigns including the observance of the National Alcohol and Drug Recovery Month. The principles, elements and components of this system of care will be described.

NORTHEAST: Northeast ATTC’s New York Office is promoting the following conference, Model Approaches to Integrating HIV Counseling and Testing in Primary and Reproductive Health Care. This conference will address cultural barriers to accessing HIV counseling and testing services. The conference will also explore model approaches to integrating HIV services into primary and reproductive health care. The keynote speaker will be Humberto Cruz, Director, AIDS Institute, New York State Department of Health. Registration is free of charge and limited to the first 200 people. For registration, go to http://www.ppaction.org/ppnyc/events/hivintegration/details.tcl

NORTHEAST: The Northeast ATTC will be conducting a weeklong series of trainings September 2 – 5, 2008 on Screening Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) to the junior class of nursing students at the University of Pittsburgh School of Nursing. The Northeast ATTC will also conduct a booster session for senior nursing students who participated in an SBIRT seminar last fall 2007. Finally the ATTC will conduct a TOT for the School of Nursing instructors so that students can conduct screening and assessment in all of their clinical rotations.

PACIFIC SOUTHWEST: On Thursday, September 18, 2008 the Pacific Southwest ATTC in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health will present Co-Occurring Psychiatric and Substance Use Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Diagnostic Challenges and Treatment Options for Los Angeles County Psychiatrists at the Prototypes Conference Center in Culver City, CA. This training will focus on the unique role of trauma in the development of substance use disorders. ADHD, PTSD, and conduct disorders will be emphasized, and motivational interviewing will be discussed as a technique for engaging patients and facilitating behavior change. For further information, please contact Bethany Stern at bplain@ucla.edu.

MID-AMERICA: Mid-America ATTC is a co-sponsor and conference chair of the Fifth Annual Bi-State American Indian Symposium. This year’s Symposium is scheduled for Monday, November 17, 2008. The title is Building Bridges, Transforming Perceptions towards American Indian People: Changing Tomorrow, Cherishing and Honoring Our Past. The purpose of this annual event is to encourage system changes which support urban American Indian wellness so services are provided in culturally appropriate ways and gaps in services to American Indians are reduced. All presenters at the Symposium are American Indians enrolled with federally recognized tribes. The audience is primarily non-Native persons who provide health, mental health and social services to the urban American Indians in the Greater Kansas City Area. It is a bi-state event including both Kansas and Missouri. Approximately 300 persons attend each year. Currently the planning committee is seeking workshop presenter applications through a Call for Presentations process. If you know of someone who is qualified and might be interested in presenting at this Symposium, or if you want more information about the Symposium, contact Jan Wrolstad at wrolstadj@umkc.ed uor 816.482.1150.

NORTHEAST: The Northeast ATTC New York office is proud to announce the New York state Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS) organized Run for Recovery, 2-mile, 4-person team event on September 16, 2008. Time: 11:00 am- 2:00 pm. Location: NYS Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY. For online registration please go to www.oasas.state.ny.us . No on-site registration and no entrance fee. After-race refreshments for runners and walkers will be provided and also Foy Brothers will perform live at this event. For more information call-518-457-8299 and for the flyer please click here.

CENTRAL EAST: On August 12th CEATTC Director Dr. Tom Durham participated in the National Behavioral Health Conference for Returning Veterans and their Families in Bethesda, MD. Dr. Durham served as technical expert during a Policy Academy where selected states worked with a variety of subject matter experts in developing plans for enhancing substance abuse and mental health delivery systems for returning veterans and their families in their respective states

MID-AMERICA: Mid-America ATTC was one of the co-sponsors of the 2008 Midwest Conference on Problem Gambling and Substance Abuse held in St. Louis, Missouri, August 13-15. Prairielands ATTC was the lead organization for this event and guided the Midwest Consortium on Problem Gambling and Substance Abuse in planning the conference. This was the fifth year for this regional event and over 200 participants attended. Debbie Rockford, Project Manager, and Jan Wrolstad, Associate Director, served on the planning committee. Mid-America ATTC sponsored 17 certified problem gambling counselors from Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma, exhibited for both Mid-America and Prairielands, served as workshop monitors and assisted with other logistics. For more information contact Debbie Rockford at rockfordd@umkc.edu or 816.482.1175.

MID-AMERICA: Mid-America ATTC co-sponsored a two-day conference on returning veterans in Omaha, Nebraska on August 16-17, 2008. The conference, “Wellness Conference on Returning Veterans Issues,” was attended by 250 participants including National Guard members, families, military and community health and mental health providers and substance abuse counselors. Other sponsors were the Adjutant General’s Office of the Nebraska National Guard, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services Division of Behavioral Health, and the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System. Speakers were members of the Nebraska National Guard and counselors from the VA Health Care System. Topic areas addressed were: PTSD/Suicide Awareness, Substance Abuse/At Risk Behaviors, Sexual Boundaries, Primary Care Issues, Readjustment/Reintegration Issues, Benefits and Resources, and Vision for Unit Wellness Teams. Scheduled group discussions allowed time for the participants to develop questions to pose to panel members on specific topics. Mid-America ATTC Associate Director Jan Wrolstad and Project Assistant Doris Rogers served on the planning committee. Mid-America also exhibited, provided continuing education certificates, conducted an event evaluation and provided funding support for some presenters and facilitators. For more information contact Jan Wrolstad at wrolstadj@umkc.edu or 816.481.1150.

NORTHEAST: The Northeast ATTC is conducting the third session of its online course Introduction into Adolescent Co-occurring Disorders starting August 25 – September 19, 2008. Twenty-two participants will start this facilitated online course. Additionally, the Northeast ATTC along with the Pennsylvania Department of Welfare, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services will be conducting a Training-of-trainers this November 19 – 20, 2008 on the Adolescent Co-occurring Disorders Curriculum for twenty-five of the states top trainers. The course will begin with the four week online Introduction into Adolescent Co-occurring Disorders.

NORTHWEST FRONTIER: Northwest Frontier ATTC is partnering with American Samoa, the Republic of Palau and Chemeketa Community College to support a faculty sabbatical during 2009 to both Pacific Island jurisdictions. The visiting faculty will help establish an academic track for the training of addiction counselors and prevention specialists, provide mentoring for potential instructors, and teach continuing education workshops for existing substance abuse and mental health staff members. For more information, contact Steve Gallon gallons@ohsu.edu.

NORTHEAST: The Northeast ATTC continues to conduct, plan and development onsite offerings of the NIDA Blending products to providers within the Northeast Region. The following trainings are scheduled: Treatment Planning MATRS August 27, 2008, two PAMI training in the Albany NY area August 20 & 21, 2008, MIA-Step September 16 & 17, 2008 and Treatment Planning MATRS on September 24, 2008. Plans are in development to continue offering onsite training for October – December, 2008. The NIDA Blending trainings PAMI, Treatment Planning MATRS and Buprenorphine Treatment: Training for Multidisciplinary Addiction Professionals at the Northern Tier Provider Association Conference this November 4 – 6, 2008.

SOUTHEAST: Southeast ATTC Is offering on September 11th & 12th: MIA:STEP in Charleston, SC, with Dr. Chanda Brown and Dr. Therese Killeen presenting. This training is designed as a tool to fortify a supervisor’s ability to provide structured, focused, and effective clinical supervision. MIA: STEP introduces an effective strategy for observation-based clinical supervision, the use of which has potential to improve counselor skills beyond MI. The toolkit is aimed at developing clinical supervisor skills by using the MIA: STEP materials. NIDA research has shown that MI skills can be taught and used at a high level when using recorded sessions, interview coding, and clinical supervision. MI has a well-documented capacity to engage and retain clients in treatment. (NOTE: This training is for supervisors only).

NIDA Initiative Activities