Past Announcements

The 1^st Annual Georgia School of Addiction Studies
Dates: August 27-31, 2007
Location: Callaway Gardens

SAMHSA JOINS WITH SCHOLASTIC TO ISSUE 2007 REACH OUT NOW NATIONAL SCHOOL PROGRAM TO PREVENT UNDERAGE ALCOHOL USE

Program Supports the U.S. Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Reduce Alcohol Use by America’s Youth

On the heels of the Surgeon General’s March 6 Call to Action to prevent and reduce underage drinking, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) has once again joined with Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, to present its annual, nationwide in-school program designed to help parents and teachers educate kids about the dangers of alcohol use. The program, Reach Out Now: Start Talking Before They Start Drinking, is distributed by Scholastic and SAMSHA to nearly every fifth and sixth grade classroom nationwide, beginning this week.

Acting Surgeon General Kenneth P. Moritsugu, M.D., MPH., rear admiral in the U.S. Public Health Service’s Commissioned Corps notes that "the program design and content are just what our schools need to reach fifth- and sixth-graders in language they can understand. The Reach Out Now program supports my Call to Action goal of engaging parents and schools in a coordinated national effort to educate our children about the harm of underage drinking,"

According to SAMHSA Administrator Terry Cline, Ph.D., "Each day, more than 10,000 young people under the age of 21 take their first drink. SAMHSA instituted the Reach Out Now initiative to address the problem of young teens and pre-teens who were experimenting with alcohol. Now that the Surgeon General has called on our entire country to support his Call to Action, we believe these materials will help our schools put that plan into immediate action when they share them with students and their parents."

Now in its sixth year, the Reach Out Now program, is designed to educate students in fifth and sixth grades about the effects of alcohol, and provide information and advice to help parents, teachers, and school nurses engage children in conversations about the need to avoid underage drinking.

The Reach Out Now materials were developed by SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) and Scholastic and are based on research supported by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and SAMHSA. A four-page teacher guide includes ready-to-use lesson plans and activities to help students gain a better understanding of the effects of alcohol and what positive actions they can take as an alternative to drinking. Each child will also receive a take-home Family Resource Guide, which includes tips and advice for parents on how to engage in conversations with children about alcohol and important factual information they can share on the dangers of underage drinking.

"It is clear from the Surgeon General’s report that there is an urgent need to begin educating our children about the dangers of alcohol use long before they reach their teen years," says David Lange, General Manager, Scholastic In School Solutions. "Scholastic is joining forces once again with SAMHSA to tackle the problem of underage drinking by offering parents and educators the advice and information they need to engage children in meaningful conversations about underage drinking in the classroom and at home."

The U.S. Department of Education is collaborating with SAMHSA to make sure these materials reach as many children and families as possible. Other organizations joining SAMHSA to promote the Reach Out Now program include MADD, Pride Youth Program, Inc., Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, the National Family Partnership, National Families in Action, the National Association of Children of Alcoholics, the National Association of State Drug and Alcohol Abuse Directors, the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the USA.

This public/private collaboration allows SAMHSA to merge its knowledge about underage drinking prevention with Scholastic’s reputation for excellence in the development of classroom materials.

More information about the Reach Out Now program and materials are available at http://www.teachin.samhsa.gov/

About SAMHSA

SAMHSA is a public agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. The agency is responsible for improving the accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the nation’s substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment and mental health services delivery systems.

About Scholastic

Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school-based book fairs, and school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries and television networks; and the Company's Internet site, www.scholastic.com

Top

SAMHSA ADVISORY
New Science to Service Awards Will Honor Implementation of Evidence-Based Mental Health and Substance Abuse Interventions

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has issued a call for applications for its Science to Service Awards, a new national program that will recognize community-based organizations and coalitions that have shown exemplary implementation of evidence-based mental health and substance abuse interventions. The new awards program, which is part of SAMSHA's mission to build resilience and facilitate recovery, will recognize and promote the rapid implementation of effective, evidence-based interventions that benefit consumers and communities.

A maximum of three awards will be made in each of four categories: substance abuse prevention, treatment of substance abuse and recovery support services, mental health promotion, and treatment of mental illness and recovery support services. To be eligible for an award, an organization must have successfully implemented a recognized evidence-based intervention, including those that are published in scientific literature and/or appear on a Federal and/or state registry of evidence-based intervention.

Both public sector (State, local territorial, tribal) and private sector organizations (including community-based organizations and/or coalitions) are eligible to compete for the awards. Developers of an evidence-based intervention, or their research collaborators, and Federal agencies are not eligible for the awards.

All applications will be rated using the following four criteria: community need, sustainability, implementation, and results. Review panels will recommend for an award the top three scoring submissions in each of the four categories. SAMSHA's Office of the Administrator and the agency’s Center Directors will review and approve award finalists. Finalists may also receive a site visit from one or more reviewers prior to the announcement of the award recipients.

Submission of an application or selection as an award winner is not associated with any other current or future funding from SAMHSA or any other Federal agency. Complete information is available on the SAMHSA Web site.

Applications must be emailed by February 28, 2007 to dfixsen@fmhi.usf.edu. For community organizations without access to email, the application must be postmarked by midnight on February 28, 2007 and mailed to Dean Fixsen, Ph.D., Science to Service Award Coordinator, University of South Florida, 13301 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., MHC 2312, Tampa, Florida 33612.

Top

DOJ Sponsors National Methamphetamine Awareness Day

Washington–The Department of Justice today announced that it will sponsor National Methamphetamine Awareness Day on Nov. 30, 2006, in order to generate awareness about the damaging effects of meth abuse on individuals, families and American communities.

Meth Poster and 10 Things You Should Know About Meth

http://www.usdoj.gov/methawareness

http: www.endmeth.info/effects-of-meth.html

http://www.usdoj.gov/methawareness

Top

Statewide Underage Drinking Prevention Initiative Begins in Georgia

Atlanta – The Council on Alcohol and Drugs (The Council), a Georgia Chamber of Commerce affiliate organization, will soon implement the Georgia Underage Drinking Prevention Initiative.

The Office of Prevention Services and Programs in the Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Addictive Diseases (MHDDAD) at the Georgia Department of Public Health, awarded The Council a contract to execute the initiative, with funds from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD), which is chaired by SAMHSA administrator Charles G. Curie, M.A., A.C.S.W., held a conference in fall 2005 about the nation’s underage drinking problem.

Representatives from several government agencies attended the conference, and together they developed a comprehensive plan for combating underage drinking. Among other activities, the committee and its members brought together teams of senior state officials, and they received the U.S. Surgeon General’s, Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., commitment to issue a call for action to curb the underage-drinking epidemic.

“Over the years, we’ve made great progress in reducing tobacco and illicit drug use among our nation’s young people,” Mike Leavitt, Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) at the U.S. Department of HHS, said. “Underage alcohol use has been a tougher and more persistent problem. However, the solutions are well within our grasp,” he continued.

ICCPUD’s plan centers on three objectives: strengthening the nation’s commitment to fighting underage drinking, reducing the demand for and availability of alcohol among youth, and using research to improve the effectiveness of prevention efforts.

The Georgia Underage Drinking Prevention Initiative is a response to the Surgeon General’s call to action.

“Communities throughout Georgia are dealing with the problems caused by underage drinking and the toll it takes on society,” Chuck Wade, President & CEO of The Council on Alcohol and Drugs, said. “The Council is committed to planning and implementing a comprehensive, statewide, underage drinking prevention program focused on proving that underage drinking is not inevitable. Underage drinking is illegal, unhealthy, and unacceptable, but the good news is, it is preventable,” he added.

The Georgia Underage Drinking Prevention Initiative calls for a partnership to unite adults and youth to increase public awareness and reduce underage alcohol use in communities throughout Georgia. A prevention education campaign will help local community coalitions host Town Hall meetings about underage drinking prevention.

The Initiative will also create Responsible Sales & Service Workshops (RASS) to provide owners and staff of alcohol-licensed establishments with valuable resources and information to prevent sales to underage youth in college communities.

The announcement corresponds perfectly with Red Ribbon Week, which is October 23-31 in Georgia. Red Ribbon Week is honored throughout the country as a time to promote drug-free education and prevention, and to increase awareness of drug-free living.

The Council named Simone Powell, M Ed., Project Director for the Georgia Underage Drinking Prevention Initiative. She was previously the Communications Director for the Georgia Alcohol Policy Partnership (GAPP) with The Council on Alcohol and Drugs, and she has several years experience as a community coalition organizer and in prevention education. The Initiative’s Program Director will be Dr. Gregg Raduka, Director of Prevention/Intervention for The Council.

The Council on Alcohol and Drugs is a 36-year-old, non-profit alcohol and drug prevention agency and an affiliate of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. With funding from the Georgia Department of Public Health MHDDAD Office of Prevention Services, The Council has renewed its efforts in the prevention and reduction of underage alcohol consumption in Georgia. You may visit The Council’s Web site at www.livedrugfree.org.

For more information, contact Simone Powell at The Council on Alcohol and Drugs at (404) 223-2484 or e-mail spowell@livedrugfree.org.

Top

Anti-Gang Funding Available from Justice Department

The U.S. Department of Justice will award grants of up to $150,000 under its Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) program.

Training grants are available to communities looking to improve local efforts to prevent gang involvement. Governments and law-enforcement entities may apply for funding.
Application deadline is Dec. 14, 2006.

For more information, see the grant announcement online (PDF) at http://www.great-online.org

Top

GEORGIA HAS RECEIVED SAMHSA'S SPF-SIG AWARD
September 19, 2006

Georgia Department of Public Health, Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Addictive Diseases, Office of Prevention Services and Programs in Atlanta, Georgia has received the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Strategic Prevention Framework Incentive Grant. The SPF-SIG will support an extensive state/local collaboration to build and implement a data-driven prevention system that provides tools and supports to promote substance abuse prevention and health promotion. The program will create unified structures for local planning and programming, and provide guided funding for local delivery of evidence-based prevention strategies statewide.

Top

SAMHSA Announces Availability of a New Brochure:
Drugs, Alcohol and HIV/AIDS: A Consumer Guide

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA's) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment recently released English- and Spanish-language versions of a new brochure, Drugs, Alcohol and HIV/AIDS: A Consumer Guide. The brochure is for substance abuse treatment program clients who may be involved in risky behaviors associated with HIV/AIDS. The information in the brochure is based on Treatment Improvement Protocol 37, Substance Abuse Treatment for Persons With HIV/AIDS. The brochure answers questions such as-

• What do drugs and alcohol have to do with HIV?
• What if I already have HIV?
• What if I can't stop using drugs or alcohol?
• What if I can't handle all of this alone?

In addition, helpful phone numbers and Web links are listed on the back cover of the brochure, along with a reference to SAMHSA's Treatment Facility Locator.

To order FREE copies of Drugs, Alcohol and HIV/AIDS and Drogas, Alcohol y el VIH/SIDA, contact SAMHSA's National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI). Ask for publication order number PHD1126 (English) or PHD1134 (Spanish).

Phone: 800-729-6686
800-487-4889 (TDD hearing impaired)
877-767-8432 (toll free) Hablamos Español
Web: www.ncadi.samhsa.gov

Top

NEW WAVE OF 'ABOVE THE INFLUENCE' TV ADVERTISEMENTS LAUNCHED August 7, 2006

The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's (ONDCP) National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign today launches a second wave of new television advertisements for award-winning "Above the Influence," the teen anti-drug brand which launched last year. These new ads come on the heels of several top industry honors recognizing the power and effectiveness of the new brand.

The ads air this week on the following top-rated, prime time teen-focused programs, Veronica Mars, 7th Heaven, Twins, and Charmed and will also run during two of the largest teen-targeted televised events of the year: Fox's Teen Choice Awards on August 20 and MTV's Video Music Awards on August 31. This latest round of advertising focuses even more on the negative consequences of using drugs, including marijuana.

"Above the Influence," launched in November 2005 as the Media Campaign's new youth brand, employs a series of advertisements and a Web site, AbovetheInfluence.com, to challenge teens to live above the negative pressures in their lives. The brand encourages youth to resist drug use by rejecting negative influences and empowers them to make positive choices.

At the eight-month mark, the new brand is showing some positive trends, including effectively resonating with the teen audience and industry experts.

In addition, the ad campaign and Web site have received numerous top industry honors, including the prestigious Mediaweek "Media Plan of the Year" award for a plan spending $25 million or more. Mediaweek described the media plan as "charting a new course" to reduce teen marijuana use. The ad campaign also received several other top industry honors, including the Telly Awards, The Addy, the Internet Advertising Competition, and the AAAA Jay Chiat Planning Award -- the top honor for creative planning and strategy in its category.

The Web site also received two Webby awards, given by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. The site received the Webby for "Best Youth Web Site of 2006," and the online community voted AbovetheInfluence.com the "People's Voice" award winner in the Youth category. AbovetheInfluence.com addresses the pressures teens face, mainly the pressure to use drugs. The site has generated more than 12 million visits since its debut last November and also includes information on other teen pressures, including underage drinking, fitting-in, self esteem, body image, and bullying.

* To view the new ads, go to: www.abovetheinfluence.com/the-ads/default.aspx.

* To order and disseminate free "Above the Influence"-branded postcards and other useful anti-drug resources, please place an order through The National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information at 1-800-788-2800.

Top

Meth Action Clearinghouse

The National Association of Counties (NACO) has developed a clearinghouse of information on methamphetamines. This website contains research results and survey data, updates on federal legislation and advocacy, new releases, and other resources. You can find this resource at:

http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Meth_Action_Clearinghouse&
Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=74&ContentID=17541

NACO has also reported a series of surveys of county officials across the country on methamphetamine problems. The most recent of these was announced on July 18, 2006 and is available at www.naco.org

Publisher
National Association of Counties
440 First Street, NW
Washington, dc 20001
Phone: 202-393-6226
Website: http://www.naco.org/

Top

NEWS: Please share with community colleges, tech schools and community organizations in your regions.

Department of Labor, Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA) for Community-Based Job Training Grants (SGA/DFA PY 05-11) Grant

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), announces the availability of approximately $125 million in grant funds for Community-Based Job Training Grants.

Community-Based Job Training Grants will be awarded through a competitive process to support workforce training for high-growth/high-demand industries through the national system of community and technical colleges.

The primary purpose of these grants is to build the capacity of community colleges to train workers to develop the skills required to succeed in local or regional:

• (i) industries and occupations that are expected to experience high-growth and
• (ii) industries where demand for qualified workers is outstripping the supply.

Funds will be awarded to individual community and technical colleges, community college districts, state community college systems, and One-Stop Career Centers to support or engage in a combination of capacity building and training activities for the purpose of building the capacity of community colleges to train for careers in high-growth/high-demand industries in the local and/or regional economies.

This Solicitation contains an exception for rural areas and other communities that are educationally underserved due to lack of access to community or technical colleges.

Visit site below for further information.

http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=10147

Top