Recent News

April is National Alcohol Awareness Month. To raise awareness about alcohol-related harms and the importance of alcohol policy safeguards, the Northwest PTTC has launched the 2021 Alcohol Awareness Toolkit: #ProofIsInTheNumbers.   "The Alcohol Awareness Toolkit seeks to do the following during the month of April: Raise awareness about alcohol-related harms and the importance of strong alcohol policies using memes, and Encourage engagement from prevention and public health […]

     April is National Minority Health Month (NMHM). Established by Congress in 2002 and building off an annual event originally created in 1915 by Booker T. Washington, NMHM is an opportunity to raise awareness of the health disparities facing minorities and other vulnerable populations. The theme of this year’s NMHM is #VaccineReady. The Office […]

Evidence is vital for the substance use prevention field and prevention professionals. Evidence of drug trends lets us identify the emerging issues that need to be addressed. Evidence of intervention effectiveness helps us determine the “best fit” strategies for our communities, and collecting new evidence allows us to recognize when our efforts should be reinforced or adjusted. […]

February 1st was SAMHSA’s 17th Annual Prevention Day, an opportunity for networking and shared learning with stakeholders from across the behavioral health continuum. Such collaboration, whether through official events like Prevention Day or in the course of other activities, is more important now than ever. Although data is still preliminary, available evidence shows that the […]

January is National Mentoring Month, a time to recognize the value and importance of providing guidance and support to those in need. Mentoring gives youth and young adults the assurance that there is someone who cares about them, who can help with every day challenges, and who lets them know they matter.1  In addition to […]

  A Comprehensive Communication from SAMHSA. Please feel free to share with your colleagues and constituents as you see fit.   Funding Dept. of Health and Human Services - The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2021 Statewide Family Network grant program (Short […]

Preventing Impaired Driving December is National Impaired Driving Prevention Month, a time to raise awareness of the consequences of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. In 2019, over 28 million US residents—11.2 percent of all residents ages 16 and up—drove under the influence of alcohol or illicit substances at least once.1 Among residents ages […]

  National Native American Heritage Month Respecting Populations’ Heritages in Prevention November is National Native American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the culture, history, and traditions of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) peoples. And part of celebrating culture and heritage is to understand and respect the importance and value it has in people’s […]

Check out the article "Native American Heritage Month & Becoming a Protective Factor for Native youth" from November's PTTC Post:   Click here to subscribe to the PTTC Post 

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released a new mobile app earlier this month, called My Mental Health Crisis Plan, which helps individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) create a plan to guide their treatment during a mental health crisis. From the SAMHSA newsroom:   The app was developed through SMI Adviser, […]

Using Take Back Programs to Advance Substance Use Prevention Efforts October 24 is the next Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Prescription drug take back programs and events are a commonly used tactic for encouraging the safe disposal of unnecessary prescription drugs, with the DEA’s National Take Back Day being one […]

National Suicide Prevention Month September is National Suicide Prevention Month, and Suicide Prevention Week is September 6-12. Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death overall in the United States, and the second leading cause of death among youth and young adults.1 Suicide is also a growing problem, up from 29,366 reported fatal suicides in 1999 […]

International Drug Overdose Awareness Day Substance use prevention is often understood to have three component parts: demand prevention, supply prevention, and harm prevention. In other words: reducing the desirability of substance use, reducing the availability of substances to use, and reducing the consequences that can stem from use. One of the greatest consequences of substance […]

Prescription opioid misuse remains a major issue in the United States. While there have been encouraging signs of declining use, there is still much work to be done. In 2018, past-year prescription pain reliever misuse nationally was 3.6 percent. Although this was a decline from 4.1 percent in 2017, prescription pain relievers were still the […]

This SAMHSA brief looks at recent reports that indicate the current pandemic disproportionately impacts communities of color, compounding longstanding racial disparities. Click here to access the brief.

This newly released SAMHSA report presents data on the prevalence of opioid misuse and death rates in the Black/African American population; contextual factors and challenges to prevention and treatment; and innovative community-based strategies to connect people to evidence-based treatment and support. Click here to access the report.

The COVID-19 pandemic is an issue seemingly on everyone’s mind right now, and with good reason. The pandemic has negatively impacted virtually everyone in the United States to a greater or lesser extent. However, recent data suggests that the pandemic has disproportionately harmed more vulnerable populations, in particular racial and ethnic minorities.[1] This continues the […]

Recent publication from The University of California San Francisco's Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education regarding the link between COVID-19 and smoking and vaping. Find the article here.

Recent publication from the National Institute on Drug Abuse regarding the potential implications of COVID-19 for individuals with substance use disorders. Find the publication here

Central East Behavioral Health Training and TA Centers: Meet the Teams Holly Ireland, Oscar Morgan, and Deborah Nixon-Hughes September 18, 2019, 1-2 PM EST WEBINAR DESCRIPTION The Danya Institute continues its collaborative efforts to develop and strengthen the specialized behavioral health and primary healthcare workforce to provide evidence-based and promising practices in the treatment and […]

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Prevention Week (NPW) is May 10 to May 16 this year. NPW is an opportunity for substance use prevention stakeholders to promote the importance of prevention. Through NPW activities, prevention stakeholders can provide resources and information to facilitate improved prevention work in communities throughout the […]

This Advisory, Implementing Tobacco Cessation Treatment for Individuals with SMI : A Quick Guide for Program Directors and Clinicians can help clinicians who work in a mental health facility implement a tobacco cessation program to reduce the use of tobacco-related products and tobacco-related diseases among clients with SMI.   "Call to Action: Do you work in a mental […]

As of September 24, 2019 at 5pm, 805 lung injury cases associated with the use of e-cigarette or vaping products have been reported to CDC and twelve deaths have been confirmed in 10 states (as reported on CDC.gov). It is important the the prevention community know the risks and the latest advisory from the CDC. […]

  Check out the prevention resources available at DEA.gov     Among the resources offered are their Drug Fact Sheets, Parent's Guide to Prevention (in English and Spanish), and Drugs of Abuse guide. Visit their site to learn more about their education and prevention efforts including Community Outreach, National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, and the DEA […]