CARIBBEAN BASIN & HISPANIC ATTC: We are celebrating Fifteen Years of Technology Transfer! Since 1993 the Caribbean Basin and Hispanic ATTC of the Universidad Central del Caribe, School of Medicine, has served the addiction field in Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands and Hispanic Populations in the United States. The Caribbean Basin ATTC is proud of its achievements during these 15 years such as: the creation of the first masters degree program in substance abuse counseling; establishing a continuing education program in substance abuse; design and dissemination of educational material science based in Spanish and English; developing a cadre of faculty members specialized in the cause and consequences of drug addiction; promoting the creation of a certification board for professionals specializing in substance abuse; providing technical assistance to the public and private sectors.
During this very important year for the Caribbean Basin and Hispanic ATTC, we continue to translate the latest research in addiction treatment and recovery services into practice offering a series of special educational events. One of these events will be conducted on May 6th, 2009 in Bayamon, PR entitled Growing up in Puerto Rico, (Creciendo en Puerto Rico) based on research findings from a project funded by the National Institute on Drugs Abuse (NIDA). This research aims to understand the role of neighborhoods, family, school and peers with school dropout, premature sex, drug use and violent behavior among a cohort of Puerto Rican adolescents. Among the results, presenters will indicate that older adolescents whose mother used drugs during pregnancy, who reported high rates of absenteeism and attended school where teachers were attacked or wounded by students, were more likely to dropout of school. Adolescent violence was directly associated with all the factors that compromised social disorder which can be described as threatening behaviors by individuals in public places. However, only the presence of abandoned vehicles was associated with physical disorder which is described as environmental deterioration of urban landscapes, such as abandoned properties, graffiti, and shooting galleries. We are inviting leaders from the community to comment on these findings.
Also, other cities in different regions of Puerto Rico are requesting this type of event because it is research based and local. For more information contact Maria del Mar Garcia at (787)785-4211 or mgarcia@uccaribe.edu.

NATIONAL OFFICE: The Summer 2009 Directors Meeting dates have been set for June 18 & 19. The meeting will take place in Sparks, NV in conjunction with CPDD.

NATIONAL OFFICE: The ATTC Network Meeting & Fall Directors Meeting dates have been set for November 3-6 in Kansas City, MO. Lodging, logistics and registration information will be made available in the coming months.

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CARIBBEAN BASIN: Substance Abuse Treatment Program Evaluation: This educational event will be delivered to any individual eager to learn more about principles of evaluation in relation to substance abuse treatment program. The workshop will be delivered by professor Tomas Matos, MS at the Universidad Central del Caribe in Bayamon, PR on March 31, 2009. For more information contact Maria del Mar Garcia at (787)785-4211 or mgarcia@uccaribe.edu.

MID-AMERICA: Mid-America ATTC in collaboration with the Ponca Tribe in Nebraska is sponsoring a workshop on the Red Road Approach to Addiction Treatment. This three-day event will take place in Norfolk, Nebraska, April 8-10. read full discription

MID-AMERICA: Mid-America ATTC is collaborating with two organizations in Nebraska: 1) the Nebraska state training office, Training for Addiction Professionals (TAP) and 2) Nebraska Faith Partners, a group of faith community leaders, on a two-day faith initiative conference scheduled for September 24-25, 2009 in Lincoln, Nebraska. read full discription

MID-AMERICA: Mid-America ATTC delivered a one-day workshop on Best Practices in Co-Occurring Disorders Treatment on March 20, 2009 in Norman, Oklahoma. The six-hour workshop was part of the 33rd Bi-annual Spring Conference of the Oklahoma Drug and Alcohol Professional Counselors Association. read full discription

MID-AMERICA: Mid-America ATTC provided facilitation for the Arkansas Office of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention (OADAP) strategic planning meeting on March 16-17, 2009 in Little Rock, Arkansas. Participants in the strategic planning process included the Arkansas SSA Director and Executive Staff personnel in the OADAP office. Mid-America ATTC Associate Director Jan Wrolstad provided facilitation for the meeting. For more information contact Jan Wrolstad at wrolstadj@umkc.edu or 816.482.1150.

CARIBBEAN BASIN: Motivational Interviewing Assessment: Supervisory Tools for Enhancing Proficiency was conducted at the Department of Family in San Juan, PR on March 25-26, 2009 by Ibis Carrión, PsyD. For more information contact Ibis Carrion at (787) 785-4211 or ibis.carrion@uccaribe.edu.

MID-AMERICA: Mid-America ATTC is scheduled to provide a three-hour workshop on the NIDA Blending Product, Promoting Awareness of Motivational Incentives (PAMI) at the 16th Annual Oklahoma Children’s Behavioral Health Conference: The Art of Discovering Resilience on May 6, 2009 in Norman, Oklahoma. read full discription

MID-AMERICA: Mid-America ATTC along with the Nebraska Office of Probation Administration will provide MIA:STEP training in Fall 2009. On February 26, Mid-America ATTC Director, Pat Stilen, met with Julie Scott, Justice Treatment Systems Specialist, for a preliminary discussion of this project. For more information contact Pat Stilen at stilenp@umkc.edu or 816.482.1168.

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