In the News
- Partnership for Drug-Free Kids launches new website
- American Association of Poison Control Centers releases new online poison help triage tool
News from NASADAD
- NASADAD presents at National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems Annual Meeting
- NASADAD joins other groups during Coalition for Health Funding’s New Member Hill Day
Around the Agencies
- CDC releases data showing declining infant mortality rates over past decade
- SAMHSA releases Spotlight Series to highlight approaches to building trauma-informed communities
In the News
Partnership for Drug-Free Kids launches new website
The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids recently launched an updated website. The new website is customized specifically for “a parent’s journey from discovery to recovery; through relapse and ongoing struggles; from the teen years to young adulthood.” The website offers information and resources, as well as an online support community for parents who have a child struggling with a substance use disorder.
Some of the new online services and resources include: an online pilot chat program available on nights and weekends to give parents more opportunities to reach out for help and receive support; a new section outlining the types of treatment that are available for teens and young adults; and a compilation of tips on self-care for parents.
See the updated website here.
American Association of Poison Control Centers releases new online poison help triage tool
The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) has launched PoisonHelp.org, a new interactive online poisoning triage tool. Poisoning is the leading cause of injury death in the United States, due in large part to the increasing prevalence of opioid use, as well as pediatric poisoning hazards such as marijuana edibles and liquid nicotine. While triage through the national Poison Help hotline has been available for many decades, the online tool offers an alternative, and because it is mobile device-optimized, it can be accessed on smart phones.
The tool prompts users to answer a few questions about exposure products and substances, and then the site uses algorithms to offer a recommendation for the user. Input fields include substance, route of exposure, and some basic information about the exposed person.
View the new online tool here.
News from NASADAD
NASADAD presents at National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems Annual Meeting
On March 20th, Robert Morrison, NASADAD Executive Director, served as a panelist during the opening day of the National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems’ (NAPHS) annual meeting held in Washington, D.C. The session’s title was “A stakeholder discussion on addiction treatment trends: Working toward greater integration among addiction, behavioral health, and general medicine.” Other speakers included Jeffrey Hills, President, AdCare Hospital of Worcester, Mass; Kelly Clark, MD, president elect of the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM); Carol McDaid, principal, Capital Decisions, Inc.; and Mark Covall, president/CEO, National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems (NAPHS) moderated the session. Panelists discussed issues such as: 1) medication-assisted treatment; 2) funding from the 21st Century Cures bill for opioid services; and 3) parity and the work of the Parity Implementation Coalition and other issues.
To learn more about the Parity Implementation Coalition, visit https://parityispersonal.org/
To learn more about NAPHS, please visit https://www.naphs.org/home
NASADAD joins other groups during Coalition for Health Funding’s New Member Hill Day
On March 15th, Robert Morrison, NASADAD Executive Director, joined representatives from other health-related groups to educate new Hill offices regarding the benefits of health funding – including programs managed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other operational divisions. Rob joined representatives from the Infectious Disease Society of America; American Society of Hematology; American Academy of Pediatrics; and National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors. Rob noted, in particular, the importance of programs managed by SAMHSA, including the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block, a program that provides support for substance use disorder services and programs to all states and territories. Other teams composed of various members of the Coalition visited with other offices. The event was organized by the Coalition for Health Funding, an organization that educates on the importance of federal investments in health programs across the continuum.
To learn more about the Coalition, visit http://www.publichealthfunding.org/
Around the Agencies
CDC releases data showing declining infant mortality rates over past decade
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released a data brief on trends in infant mortality in the United States from 2005–2014. This brief uses data from the National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) to describe trends in infant mortality by race, Hispanic origin, State, and leading causes of infant death. Over the past decade, the overall infant mortality rate in the United States has declined 15%, from 6.86 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2005, to 5.82 in 2014.
From 2005-2014, eleven states and D.C. had declines in infant mortality rates of at least 16.0%. Declines of more than 20.0% were observed in Connecticut, South Carolina, Colorado, and D.C. During that same ten-year period, the infant mortality rate for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) declined 29%, which was the largest decline observed among the top five leading causes of infant death. Other leading causes of death were congenital malformations, short gestation and low birth weight, maternal complications, and unintentional injuries.
SAMHSA releases Spotlight Series to highlight approaches to building trauma-informed communities
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released a series of publications as part of its SAMHSA Spotlight. The SAMHSA Spotlight series highlights different approaches to building trauma-informed communities, based on a “listening session” held in May 2015. During the listening session, SAMHSA aimed to learn how different localities are building trauma-informed communities.
The SAMHSA Spotlight highlights the work of six of the communities that participated in the listening session, including three large cities (Philadelphia, PA; Kansas City, MO and KS; and San Francisco, CA), a small city (Tarpon Springs, FL), a rural community (Walla Walla, WA), and an urban city (Worcester, MA). Each Spotlight explores strategies for developing trauma-informed communities and discusses the consequences of trauma and adversity for clients.
The following publications are now available as part of the Spotlight series:
- Introduction to the SAMHSA Spotlight series, including SAMHSA’s six principles of trauma-informed approaches, key findings from listening sessions, and the efforts of six communities.
- Philadelphia, PA: Public Health Partnerships for Trauma Transformation. Highlights Philadelphia’s strengths and challenges regarding its public health approach to trauma-informed care.
- Kansas City, KS and MO: A Coalition in the Business of Compassion. Highlights Kansas City’s strengths and challenges regarding addressing trauma and building resilience.
- Worcester, MA: Healing Community by Sharing the Lived Experiences. Focuses on the Central Massachusetts Recovery Learning Community in Worcester and the importance of educating communities about the effectiveness of peer-to-peer support as a treatment for trauma-informed care.
- Tarpon Springs, FL: A Community Journey Toward Resilience. Focuses on the Peace4Tarpon initiative that uses an asset-based approach to develop trauma-informed care communities in Tarpon Springs.
- San Francisco, CA: Aligning the Workforce To Create a Trauma-Informed System. Highlights the San Francisco Department of Health’s trauma-informed systems initiative that employed a trauma-informed framework.
- Walla Walla, WA: Mobilizing the Community for Resilience. Highlights how school-based health services in Walla Walla are treating adverse childhood experiences and building community resilience.
Should you have any questions, or require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact Robert Morrison, Executive Director, or Shalini Wickramatilake-Templeman, Federal Affairs Manager, at (202) 293-0090.