New SBIRT Grants Announced Today at the White House

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is awarding $66 million over the next five years for 15 cooperative agreements to provide communities expanded capacity  to identify individuals with substance abuse problems and intervene appropriately, These cooperative agreement programs will implement Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment (SBIRT) projects, which help health providers learn how to recognize patients at risk for problems related to substance abuse and, if so, how to provide timely and effective help.  The announcement was made today by Tevi Troy, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, during a meeting convened by the White House.

 “SBIRT programs have been proven to decrease the frequency and severity of drug and alcohol use and increase the number of people who enter specialized treatment,” said Tevi Troy.  “They teach techniques that will help health care providers identify individuals with emerging or undiagnosed substance abuse problems and present them with a workable strategy for reducing or stopping their drug use.”

"Denial is a symptom of the disease of addiction," said John Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy. "These SBIRT grants will help our medical community address this serious problem and continue to increase our potential to make a significant impact on the lives of drug abusers, their families, and our Nation's health and well-being."

Four SBIRT programs are expected to each receive between $10.2 million and $12.5 million over the course of the next five years – between $2 million and $2.5 million per program per year.  The actual award amounts may vary, depending on the availability of funds and the progress achieved by the awardees.  The funds are awarded and administered by SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.  

“About 95 percent of the people who have a diagnosable substance use disorder are unlikely to seek treatment, largely because they do not realize they have a problem,” said SAMHSA Acting Administrator Eric Broderick, D.D.S., M.P.H.  “By encouraging health care professionals to identify at-risk populations and intervene early, we can reduce the lingering burden of substance abuse on individuals, their families and our health care institutions.”

In addition, 11 cooperative agreements totaling $3.75 million per year, or $19 million over five years, will be awarded for the Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment (SBIRT) Medical Residency Program.  The primary purpose of these cooperative agreements is to develop and implement training programs that will teach medical residents how to provide evidence-based screening, brief intervention, brief treatment, or referral to specialty treatment, for patients who either have, or are at risk for, a substance use disorder. Another purpose of the program is to promote adoption and wider dissemination of SBIRT and its related practices in local and statewide medical communities.

The four SBIRT cooperative agreement programs are:

The Dena Nena dba Tanana Chiefs Conference of Fairbanks, Alaska is expected to receive $2.1 million in the first year and $10.2 million over the next five years to expand its Chief Andrew Isaac Health Center’s SBIRT capacities.  These expanded capabilities are projected to help at least 10,000 patients over the next five years.

The state of West Virginia is expected to receive $2.2 million in the first year and $11.9 million over the next five years to provide enhanced SBIRT services to rural Appalachian community health centers.  Among the goals of this program is to greatly expand screening and counseling services to patients at these health centers.

The state of Missouri is expected to receive $2.3 million in the first year and $12.3 million over the next five years to enhance the SBIRT capacity of its statewide healthcare system.  Over the next five years the program is projected to screen over 80,000 patients and provide expanded early intervention services to those in need of substance abuse treatment.

The state of Georgia Department of Human Resources is expected to receive $2.5 million in the first year and $12.6 million over the next five years for a targeted project upgrading the SBIRT capabilities of Georgia’s two largest medical facilities: Grady Health System in Atlanta and the Medical Center of Central Georgia in Macon. This program is expected to screen 356,010 patients at these facilities at these facilities over the next five years and offer intervention and referral services to those needing help with substance abuse problems.

Awards for the SBIRT Medical Residency Programs will be as follows:

Salinas, Calif.--Natividad Medical Center, $280,781 first year, $1.1 million over five years:  The Natividad Family Practice Residency Program will disseminate a cross-cultural approach to SBIRT through practices available at associated clinics as well as local health care agencies.

 

San Francisco--Regents of the University of California, $373,929 first year; $1.8 million over five years:  This grantee will implement an SBIRT training curriculum for almost 200 primary care residents and will disseminate SBIRT practices across all departments of San Francisco General Hospital, regionally and statewide.

 

New Haven, Conn.--Yale University, $373,924 first year; $1.8 million over five years:  This university will promote the adoption of SBIRT among all primary care specialty residents for internal medicine, pediatrics, ob/gyn, psychiatry and emergency medicine; program funds will be used to train 254 residents.

 

Chicago--Access Community Health Network, $375,000 first year; $1.8 million over five years:  This health center, which has 50 centers in medically underserved areas of Chicago, will train physicians and other health professionals in SBIRT practices.  By collaborating with residency programs at the University of Chicago, Jackson Park and Mt. Sinai Hospitals expect to train 276 residents.

 

Boston--Children’s Hospital Corporation, $374,991 first year; $1.8 million over five years:  In addition to developing the SBIRT curriculum to teach pediatric clinicians, this grantee will disseminate the curriculum to pediatrics and family medicine faculty at Children’s Hospital. 

 

New York--Albany Medical College, $375,000 first year; $1.8 million over five years:  Partnering with the New York Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, this organization intends to train 387 medical residents in SBIRT practices by using the World Health Organization model and the Albany Medical College neuroscience addiction module.

 

Kettering, Ohio--Kettering Medical Center, $281,250 first year; $1.4 million over five years:  This grantee will develop and implement two levels of training programs that will teach medical residents how to use SBIRT practices  The goal is to screen 90 percent of patients entering their medical center using the SBIRT system by the end of the third year.

 

Portland, Ore.--Oregon Health & Science University, $368,172 first year; $1.8 million over five years:  This university will partner with the Northwest Frontier Addiction Technology Transfer Center and the RMC Corp.to disseminate and evaluate a curriculum promoting SBIRT practices to primary care medical residents.  More than 400 family practice, preventive medicine and internal medicine residents will be trained.

Pennsylvania--University of Pittsburgh, $380,661 first year; $1.8 million over five years:  This statewide initiative will use an evidence-based curriculum to train approximately 750 medical residents and faculty in SBIRT skills and practices.

Texas--University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, $375,000 first year; $1.8 million over five years:  Under the leadership of the Department of Pediatrics, this organization will train 539 residents in SBIRT skills.

 

Washington, D.C.--Howard University, $374,660 first year; $1.8 million over five years:  Howard University College of Medicine and Howard University Hospital will make the SBIRT program a standard training component for medical residents in primary care settings and will also incorporate it into regular medical practice.  Approximately 560 residents will be trained. 

For additional information click here. 

 

New National Survey Shows Continued Decline in Youth Substance Abuse

Current illicit drug use among teens is continuing to decline, according to a new report by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released today.  The study also shows positive signs that teens are seeing the dangers of abusing prescription drugs and methamphetamine and are pushing back.  Among youth ages 12-17, the 2007 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), the Nation’s largest substance use survey, shows that the significant decline in overall past month illicit drug use that began in 2002 continued through 2007, from 11.6 percent to 9.5 percent.

The survey, released at the start of the 19^th Annual National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, shows that the reductions in youth drug use occurred for nearly every type of illicit drug including marijuana, cocaine, hallucinogens, LSD, and Ecstasy.  The survey also shows dramatic declines in meth use, down by 67 percent (from 0.3% to 0.1%) and prescription drug abuse among teens, which declined overall by 18 percent, from 4 percent to 3.3 percent between 2002-2007.

Both declines come in the wake of Federal efforts by the Office of National Drug Control Policy’s National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of these specific drugs through large scale public education efforts.  The anti-meth campaign launched in 2007 and included advertising and public education outreach to raise awareness about the dangers of meth and provide information about the availability of meth treatment.  Building on this campaign, ONDCP is launching a new meth Open Letter advertisement, “Rebuild After Meth,” highlighting the message that meth treatment is available and works.  The ad appears nationally today and next week in USA Today and runs in 62 newspapers in 18 states, as well as regional insertions in national magazines throughout the rest of September.

Earlier this year, ONDCP launched the first major effort to educate parents about teen prescription drug abuse.  This national public awareness campaign began with advertising during this year’s Super Bowl and included broadcast, print, and online advertising, community outreach, and new print and online resources to help parents and communities combat the troubling trend of teen prescription drug abuse.

“Our message about marijuana and other street drugs is getting through to teens who are pushing back against drug use,” said Director of National Drug Control Policy, John P. Walters.  “And we are particularly encouraged by the declines in meth use and prescription drug abuse.  The Media Campaign is working tirelessly to alert and educate parents and influencers to the dangers these drugs pose and, in the case of prescription drugs, parents’ unique role in controlling them.  We must keep the focus on the dangerous trend of prescription drug abuse or we risk losing the gains we are making in keeping teens from abusing these drugs.”

Alarmingly, despite the decline in overall prescription drug abuse, as a class of drugs, the abuse of prescription drugs continues to have more past year new users than any other class.  In 2007, there were 2.5 million past year initiates of this class of drug compared to 2.1 million initiates of marijuana, the next most initiated drug in 2007.  When used correctly and under the care of a health provider, prescription drugs provide many benefits. But there are serious health consequences to abusing these drugs or combining them with alcohol or other drugs, as many teens do.

“According to Media Campaign tracking surveys, parents’ awareness of teen prescription drug abuse has doubled since the campaign launched in early February and they are more likely to take action with their teens, but we need to redouble our efforts to keep attention on this troubling trend,” said Robert W. Denniston, Director of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign.  “Teens wrongly believe that prescription drugs may be safer to abuse because they are prescribed by a doctor and they have easy access to them, most often getting them for free from home or from the homes of friends and family.”

The new NSDUH survey also shows that from 2002 to 2007 there were declines in the rate of current drug use in nearly every category among 12-17-year-olds.  Current marijuana use among this age group declined from 8.2 percent in 2002 to 6.7 percent in 2007.  Most of this decline occurred between 2002 and 2005, when the rate reached 6.8 percent.  The level of alcohol use also dropped among those aged 12 to 17, from 17.6 percent in 2002 to 15.9 percent in 2007.

Other declines revealed by the survey include:

• Cocaine: down 33 percent (from 0.6% to 0.4%);
• Hallucinogens: down 30 percent (from 1.0% to 0.7%);
• LSD: down 50 percent (from 0.2% to 0.1%);
• Ecstasy: down 40 percent (from 0.5% to 0.3%);
• Pain relievers: down 16 percent (from 3.2% to 2.7%);
• Stimulants: down 38 percent (from 0.8% to0.5%);
• Cigarettes: down by one-fourth (from 13.0% to 9.8%).

Parents are the most important influence on their teen’s decision about drug use.  Parents need to communicate their expectations about drug use and set clear rules and consequences for breaking them.  For more information about how to more effectively monitor your teen and keep them safe from drugs go to: www.TheAntiDrug.com.

NSDUH is a scientifically conducted annual survey of approximately 67,500 people throughout the country.  Due to its size and statistical accuracy it is the nation’s primary source of information on the levels of illicit drug, alcohol, and tobacco use as well as certain mental health conditions.

Since its inception in 1998, the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign has been authorized by Congress to reduce and prevent teen drug use.  For more information on the ONDCP National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, visit www.TheAntiDrug.com.

 

Cocaine Trafficking Through Venezuela Skyrockets

Over the past five years, there has been a four-fold increase in the amount of cocaine flowing out of Venezuela.  In fact, we believe that an amount equal to about one-third of the cocaine produced in Colombia is flowing through that nation.  This is a serious problem and one that must be addressed immediately. 

Unfortunately, despite public statements made by high-level officials in Venezuela regarding their interest in working with us in July, our efforts to restart anti-drug cooperation have so far been unsuccessful.

Here's Director Walters' take from an AP interview last week:

Walters said his attempt to restart cooperation has been stymied as Venezuelan officials have yet to agree to his request for a meeting, and a visa request for him and other American officials has been held up for more than a week.

"Frankly, this has gotten to the point where they're playing games," Walters said. "Usually drugs is beyond a lot of other political differences....

But in Venezuela's case, he said, "there just has been no willingness to establish that cooperation or re-establish a working relationship." [AP]

So what would cooperation with Venezuela look like?  For starters, we'd like to see President Chavez direct the leadership of his government - in writing - to facilitate cooperation with the U.S and approve the pending visa applications of seven DEA agents.  Additionally, here are some additional steps that can be taken by Venezuelan officials to show that they are serious about cooperation:

1. The Venezuelan government should announce that the FARC are not welcome in Venezuela and call for the arrest and deportation of all FARC in Venezuela.
2. The Government of Venezuela should re-establish vetted anti-drug units that can work with DEA
3. Venezuela should re-orient the Venezuelan Superintendent of Banks' Financial Intelligence Unit and facilitate financial information sharing.
4. Venezuela should reestablish an anti-drug liaison officer at JIATF-South with the ability to direct cooperation with units inside of Venezuela
5. The Venezuelans should put to use a U.S.-funded cargo inspection center in Puerto Cabello (Venezuela's largest port) for the physical inspection of suspicious cargo.

We even have photos of planes to share with the Venezuelan government that are currently engaged in trafficking massive amounts of cocaine from Venezuelan airstrips into Hispaniola and Mexico:

We hope the Government of Venezuela will begin taking action against these traffickers soon to show that they are in sincere in stopping criminality.

Why Lowering the Drinking Age is a Bad Idea

In case you missed it, there are some who are suggesting that we should experiment with lowering our national drinking age from 21 to 18. 

Unfortunately, advocates of lowering the drinking age may not be aware that reverting to these outdated 60's and 70's era policies costs lives.  MADD has compiled powerful evidence regarding the consequences of lowering the drinking age.  Consider this: 

• As one of the most studied public health laws in history, the scientific research from more than 50 high-quality studies all found that the 21 law saves lives. Studies show that the 21 law causes those under the age of 21 to drink less and to continue to drink less throughout their 20s.
• About 5,000 people under age 21 die each year due to underage drinking. This does not include sexual assaults, violence and injuries.
• The earlier youth drink (average age of first drink is about 16), the more likely they will become dependent on alcohol and drive drunk later in life.
• Setting the drinking age at 21 has saved lives on our roads.  Between 1983 and 1989, the number of drivers at a .10 BAC (the old illegal limit for adults) involved in fatal crashes increased, except for two age groups – 16-20 year olds, which decreased 32 percent, and 21-24 year olds, which decreased 18 percent.
• The Centers for Disease Control has looked at 49 peer-reviewed studies of places that changed their drinking age and found conclusively that a 21 minimum drinking age decreases fatalities by 16 percent.
• All underage drinking is unsafe drinking. Research has shown that the brain continues to
  develop into the early twenties.  The part that controls reasoning and cognitive ability takes the longest to mature; thus, underage drinking, especially heavy drinking, affects memory and reasoning. The part of the brain responsible for forming new memories, is noticeably smaller in youth who abuse alcohol. Alcohol use in adolescence also decreases executive functioning, memory, spatial operations, and attention among adolescents.

Recovery Month Planning Materials Now Available Online

Recognizing that addiction to drugs is a treatable disease and that recovery is possible, ONDCP has supported innovative and effective programs designed to help expand the availability of treatment services.  Part of these efforts include getting out the message that treatment works.  In fact, millions of Americans are successfully in recovery for drug and alcohol addiction.

Last week, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced the availability of the National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month Planning Kit, to be used as part of the 19th annual Recovery Month observance in September.  Recovery Month spotlights the need for alcohol and drug abuse treatment and recovery, and honors both those in recovery, as well as treatment providers.  The 2008 Recovery Month theme is “Join the Voices of Recovery:  Real People, Real Recovery.”

The materials for this year’s Recovery Month observance include radio and television PSAs in both English and Spanish, print, multimedia, and web-based materials.  Broadcasters are invited to request copies of the PSAs, which are available in a variety of broadcast-quality formats.  The PSAs are also available in open-ended formats, so they can be tailored for organizations and communities to localize the contact information.  These materials were developed by more than 75 organizations and coalitions within and outside the alcohol and drug addiction treatment field. 

The Recovery Month kit has already been distributed to 75,000 individuals and organizations throughout the country.  The Recovery Month kit contains information on each of the target audiences identified by the national planning groups; a full section on materials that can be adapted by each participating community; and multiple lists of alcohol and drug addiction treatment agencies and program resources.  In 2007, over 750 events were held in local communities throughout the country in observance of Recovery Month.

All Recovery Month materials are available through the Recovery Month Web site at www.recoverymonth.gov.  The kit is downloadable at here (.pdf).