Community Bridges : A Pathway to Hope

National Prevention Week 2013: Using Our Voices to Champion Positive Choices

admin — Mon, 13 May 2013 21:24:41 +0000

By: Pamela S. Hyde, J.D., Administrator, SAMHSA Today marks the beginning of SAMHSA’s second annual National Prevention Week, an observance dedicated to increasing public awareness of, and action around, substance abuse and mental health issues. This year’s theme – Your voice. Your choice. Make a difference. – recognizes that the choices we make each day have a profound impact on our health and the well-being of our families and communities. I encourage you to add your voice to the national conversation about prevention throughout this week. Whether you post a message on your social media page, submit a ... Continue reading →

National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day 2013

admin — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:59:07 +0000

By: Paolo del Vecchio, Director, Center for Mental Health Services National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day (Awareness Day) is May 9, 2013. Click here for more information about Awareness Day. In 2013, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Awareness Day activities are focusing on the importance of social connectedness—a sense of community—in building resilience in young adults with mental health and substance use challenges between the ages of 16 and 24 years old. If you notice the following signs[i] in a young adult in your life, he/she may be experiencing ... Continue reading →

2012 Annual Report

admin — Fri, 03 May 2013 02:13:40 +0000

Click the thumbnail to view the PDF

Happy 40th Birthday, MFP!

admin — Thu, 02 May 2013 20:27:55 +0000

Larke Nahme Huang, Ph.D: Director, Office of Behavioral Health Equity and Senior Advisor on Children, Youth and Families, Office of Policy, Planning and Innovation, SAMHSA and Former MFP Fellow This year, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) celebrates 40 years of federal support for the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP). This program has significantly increased the number of ethnic minority professionals in the behavioral health field and increased understanding of the mental health and substance use issues in these communities. As a recipient of one of the early fellowships, ... Continue reading →

Explore the new SAMHSA.gov

admin — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:32:44 +0000

A section of the new SAMHSA.gov is now live and ready for you to explore! SAMHSA.gov is being redesigned, reorganized and rewritten so that it’s easier to find and understand information. The new site will be a robust, easy-to-navigate website and will launch in sections over the summer—called a “Beta Approach.” In the first section that’s now live—About Us http://beta.samhsa.gov/about-us/ you can experience the more user-friendly approach to SAMHSA.gov. What do you think? Are there things you like? Do you have suggestions to make it even better? Let SAMHSA know by emailing: ... Continue reading →

Working with Boston to Recover

admin — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:45:43 +0000

By: Anne Mathews Younes, Director, Division of Prevention, Traumatic Stress, and Special Programs The people of Boston have shown incredible resilience in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings on April 15. I have firsthand knowledge of this strength and sense of community. I lived in Boston for 25 years and I ran in and completed the Boston Marathon some years ago. The Marathon brings a diverse group of people together as a community to celebrate persistence and accomplishment. It is that same sense of community and resilience that will help people cope with ... Continue reading →

IASA/OIASA Prevention and Recovery Newsletter – Spring 2013 Issue

admin — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 18:29:25 +0000

The Office of Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse (OIASA) would like to recognize April as Sexual Assault/Awareness Month. Sexual Assault involves unwanted sexual contact that affects people of all genders, age, ethnicity and sexual orientation. Specifically, Native American women are suffering tremendously from this form of violence within their communities. According to the Department of Justice, “Nearly half of all Native American women have been raped, beaten, or stalked by an intimate partner; one in three will be raped in their lifetime; and on some reservations, women are murdered at ... Continue reading →

SAMHSA’s Advisory Committee Meetings – April 10, 11, 12

admin — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:17:16 +0000

You are invited to attend SAMHSA’s April Advisory Committee Meetings. All meetings are open to the public and can be found on the registration page. April 10, 2013 | SAMHSA’s Advisory Committee for Women’s Services Meeting, Kana Enomoto, Principal Deputy Administrator, Chair 9 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time and may also be accessed via teleconference at 888-677-8206; passcode: SAMHSA Agenda will include A report from the Associate Administrator for Women’s Services and Chair of the ACWS Updates from the SAMHSA Women’s Coordinating Committee & Office of Behavioral Health Equity Discussion of Girls in Transition and ... Continue reading →

Affordable Care Act Third Anniversary

admin — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:39:14 +0000

By: Suzanne Fields, MSW, LICSW, Senior Advisor on Health Care Financing Each day we wake up to the news, we are reminded of the compelling reasons why affordable care is a fundamental necessity. Behind every statistic is a real life story that affects us all in one way or another. Almost half of Americans will have a mental illness in their lifetime. Thirty-eight thousand Americans die by suicide each year. Today, less than one in five children and adolescents with diagnosable mental health problems receive the treatment they need. According to ... Continue reading →

Smoking Rates High Among Persons with Mental and Substance Use Disorders

admin — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:29:52 +0000

By: Doug Tipperman, SAMHSA Lead Public Health Advisor Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of disease, disability, and death in the US. Despite overall declines in smoking, people with mental illness or substance abuse disorders smoke at significantly higher rates than the rest of the population. As a result, many of them will suffer from tobacco related illnesses and die prematurely. Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) indicate the following findings: Adults experiencing mental illness or a substance use disorder account for nearly 40 percent of ... Continue reading →