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Deflection Strategies to Meet People Where They Are and Reduce Harms Associated with Substance Use Disorders
Friday, August 30, 2024
Deflection has emerged as a key intervention for first responders and law enforcement agencies to steer individuals with mental health or substance use issues away from arrest and prosecution. Many deflection programs are taking their efforts a step further by incorporating harm minimization strategies, which aim to minimize the negative consequences associated with various behaviors. Learn what one officer in the Westfield, Massachusetts, Police Department has done to foster outreach to overdose survivors.
https://www.cossup.org/Content/Documents/Articles/CHJ-TASC_Deflection_Strategies_to_Reduce_SUD_Harms_Aug2024.pdf

What are Substance Use Disorders?
Sunday, August 25, 2024
This module provides an overview of how to diagnose a substance use disorder and a discussion of the neurobiology of addiction.
https://www.cossup.org/ResourceLibrary/Details/c3dbfbb4-5406-4c9e-a096-8514124f62c4

Harm Reduction and Treatment Among People at High Risk of Overdose
Monday, August 12, 2024
This article examines whether access to treatment and harm reduction differ by overdose history and drug type in a racially and ethnically diverse population of people who use drugs. To characterize access and barriers to harm reduction and treatment in a racially and ethnically diverse population of people who use drugs.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2822210

Champion of Recovery: Bambi Phillips
Friday, August 2, 2024
Bambi Phillips is a case manager for the Athens/Clark County Diversion Program in Georgia. In this video, she discusses her experiences in this role, the positive impacts she makes in her community, and how she supports individuals in recovery.
https://www.cossup.org/ResourceLibrary/Details/d2dac563-93f0-4a02-a44a-f260ac3d7b25

Tribal Opioid Response Resource Toolkit
Thursday, August 1, 2024
A variety of materials, tools, resources, and links to support tribes in their efforts to combat the opioid epidemic within their tribal communities.
https://www.nihb.org/behavioral_health/tribal_opioid_response_resources.php

SAMHSA Language Access Plan
Thursday, August 1, 2024
SAMHSA released its updated Language Access Plan (LAP), a roadmap to provide access for individuals with non-English language preference (NLEP) across all communities.
https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/language-access-plan.pdf

Pain in the Nation: The Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
TFAH’s Pain in the Nation report series tracks levels of alcohol, drug, and suicide deaths nationally and for population groups. This 2024 edition, reporting on 2022 data, found that a decrease in the alcohol-induced mortality rate led to a slightly lower combined rate of all U.S. deaths due to substance misuse and suicide, but the long-term trend of such fatalities is still alarmingly high.
https://www.tfah.org/report-details/pain-in-the-nation-2024/

Behavioral Health by Race and Ethnicity: Results from the 2021-2023 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
This report is a high-level visual representation of key outcomes by race and ethnicity from the combined 2021-2023 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). This infographic, accompanying the 2023 NSDUH National Report, covers substance use, substance use disorders, mental health issues, suicidality, and perceived recovery from substance use problems or mental health issues among the noninstitutionalized population aged 12 or older in the United States.
https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt47097/2023-nsduh-race-eth-companion.pdf

Next-of-Kin Implementation Checklist
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
This document is a companion document to Next-of-Kin Interviews: A Practitioner’s Guide to Implementation and includes checklists for the agency employing the NOK interviewer as well as for the NOK interviewer.
https://www.cossup.org/Content/Documents/OFR/NextofKin/NOKImplementationChecklist/NextofKinImplementationChecklist.pdf

Results from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH): Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
This report provides key findings from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) on substance use, mental health, and treatment among the noninstitutionalized U.S. population aged 12 or older. Estimates are presented by age group and by race/ethnicity for selected measures.
https://store.samhsa.gov/product/results-2023-nsduh/pep24-07-021

Biden-Harris Administration Awards $45.1 Million to Expand Mental Health and Substance Use Services Across the Lifespan
Wednesday, July 24, 2024
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), announced grant awards totaling $45.1 million, of which $15.3 million will fund services specifically for children and youth. The $45.1 million in awards include a variety of behavioral health initiatives in addition to youth wellness supports.
https://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/press-announcements/20240724/biden-harris-administration-awards-45-1-million-expand-mental-health-substance-use-services-across-lifespan

2023 Youth Policy Advances
Thursday, July 18, 2024
The National Youth Justice Network (NYJN) has released the 2023 Youth Policy Advances, an annual compendium of youth justice policy wins from across the country. With today's release, we celebrate the critical wins to keep more youth out of carceral settings and push our imagination forward to what true youth justice looks like - a world where community safety equals investing in the holistic resources needed for the well-being of youth and families.
https://nyjn.org/wp-content/uploads/NYJN-Advances-2023_July2024.pdf

Eviction Prevention: Strategies for Supporting Individuals with Serious Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders
Tuesday, July 16, 2024
In support of the new HHRC Eviction Prevention Toolkit, this webinar will explore strategies for supporting people with mental health conditions, substance use disorders, or co-occurring disorders living in community-based low-income housing. Topics include upstream eviction prevention strategies, housing support services, landlord partnerships, rent payment tools, behavioral health strategies, legal tools, and service coordination. The toolkit provides essential information to support stable tenancies and avoid the trauma of housing eviction.
https://hhrctraining.org/events-webinars/webinar/43348/eviction-prevention-strategies?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=View%20the%20Recording&utm_campaign=UA-179397308-1

Eviction Prevention: A Toolkit for Tenants and Service Providers
Tuesday, July 16, 2024
This toolkit is for people with mental health conditions, substance use disorders, or co-occurring disorders living in community-based low-income housing and the service providers and organizations supporting them in their housing and recovery. The toolkit provides essential information to support stable tenancies and avoid the trauma of housing eviction.
https://hhrctraining.org/knowledge-resources/toolkit/46933/eviction-prevention-toolkit

Justice For Vets Podcast: Season 2, Episode 3
Wednesday, July 10, 2024
Episode 3 kicks off a two-part series on peer support, starting with how the VA is expanding peer support to ensure justice-involved veterans have access to veterans with lived experience who provide individualized assistance connecting to VA services. Butch talks with the VA’s National Peer Services Coordinator Antonio Harris, LCSW, about the difference between VA peers and veteran mentors and the way in which both roles compliment each other and offer a more robust network of support and guidance to justice-involved veterans. Stay tuned for episode 4 which will dive into community peer support.
https://allrise.org/news/justice-for-vets-podcast-season-2-episode-3/

National DEC’s July 2024 Newsletter
Tuesday, July 9, 2024
The National DEC’s July 2024 Newsletter highlights the organization’s ongoing efforts to support drug-endangered children. It includes updates on recent training sessions, new resources available, and upcoming events. The newsletter also emphasizes the importance of community involvement and provides ways for individuals to contribute to their mission.
https://nationaldec.org/national-decs-july-2024-newsletter/

Social Media Toolkit
Tuesday, July 9, 2024
Join OJJDP and its partners in celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA), enacted on September 7, 1974. The year-long observance theme is “Looking Back, Moving Forward: Celebrating 50 Years of the JJDPA. We invite you to participate in discussions and outreach activities highlighting advancements in juvenile justice reform over the last 50 years and beyond. We also encourage you to take this time to reflect on the youth justice system of tomorrow, one that focuses on support, healing, and restorative justice.
https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/about/jjdp-act-50/social-media-toolkit#1-0

Champion of Recovery: Brandee Izquierdo
Monday, July 8, 2024
Dr. Brandee Izquierdo, DPA, MPA, is the Director of Behavioral Health Programs for Pew Charitable Trusts. She discusses how she has championed recovery in her role, the positive impact she has made, the power of storytelling, and recovery.
https://www.cossup.org/ResourceLibrary/Details/c1367832-a740-49da-afc4-92e8b3b5cbf6

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $27.5 Million in Funding Opportunities Enhancing Women’s Behavioral Health
Monday, July 8, 2024
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), announced notices of funding opportunities aimed at improving women’s behavioral health across the United States. With a combined total of $27.5 million, this funding underscores the Administration’s commitment to addressing the unique mental health and substance use treatment needs of women. SAMHSA additionally announced nearly $1 million in grant awards for two grant recipients as a part of the Services Program for Residential Treatment for Pregnant and Postpartum Women.
https://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/press-announcements/20240708/biden-harris-administration-announces-funding-opportunities-enhancing-women-behavioral-health

Officer Buy-in Checklist
Wednesday, July 3, 2024
Participation by first responders, especially police officers, is essential for the successful implementation of deflection and pre-arrest diversion programs. Effective officer buy-in increases the number of referrals to the program, enhances relations between police and community members, creates or enhances cross-sector collaboration to create new pathways to community-based behavioral health services, and provides the opportunity to increase equity in the provision of treatment and other resources to communities of color and other underserved communities. Different types of deflection programs, whether led by law enforcement agencies or administered by other types of organizations (e.g., prosecutors, behavioral health, nonprofit, etc.) share many of the same obstacles to securing officer support, but they also have their own unique barriers. This checklist offers evidence-based strategies to enhance officer buy-in for deflection programs resulting in better outcomes for individuals, agencies, and communities.
https://www.cossup.org/ResourceLibrary/Details/2046e61d-35ff-418d-94f0-83347bd0e980

Safety First: Drug Education for Youth
Monday, July 1, 2024
"Safety First: Real Drug Education for Teens" is an evidence-based, harm reduction drug education curriculum for high school students that allows teachers to have honest conversations about drugs with their students while equipping them with the skills to navigate their risks. The curriculum is free and consists of 15 lessons that can be completed in a 45- to 50-minute class period.
https://www.cossup.org/ResourceLibrary/Details/69d019e7-76ec-49be-b71b-b40012e7bca8

Teen THC Literacy Quiz
Sunday, June 30, 2024
Test your knowledge of THC's forms, symptoms, and more with this quiz from Johnny's Ambassadors.
https://johnnysambassadors.org/thcquiz/

Children and Teens Make Up Majority of Delta-8 THC Exposures
Sunday, June 30, 2024
Americans under the age of 20 made up 56 percent of all 2022 exposures to Delta-8 THC, a psychoactive substance found in cannabis sativa plants like marijuana and hemp.
https://www.justthinktwice.gov/children-and-teens-make-majority-delta-8-thc-exposures

Mind Matters: Building a Justice System That Is Inclusive and Responsive to Brain Injury
Sunday, June 30, 2024
This is a new report released by the Council on State Governments, developed with resources from the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance. The report outlines several key recommendations aimed at improving how the criminal legal system addresses brain injury.
https://csgjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Mind-Matters-Building-a-Justice-System-That-Is-Inclusive-and-Responsive-to-Brain-Injury_Final_508.pdf

Today in Juvenile Justice: Administrator Update, June 27, 2024
Friday, June 28, 2024
During this call held on June 27, 2024, Administrator Ryan highlighted the new Center for Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities, the Pride Justice Research Center, and the Gault Center's new youth defense standards.
https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/media/video/41091

Policy News Roundup: June 27, 2024
Thursday, June 27, 2024
The Policy News Roundup on June 27, 2024, highlighted community strategies to reduce overdoses, such as opioid education and naloxone distribution. Despite the overall increase in fatal overdoses during the pandemic, some areas saw decreases, attributing their success to a data-driven approach. The Surgeon General called for warning labels on social media platforms due to potential risks to adolescents’ mental health.
https://drugfree.org/drug-and-alcohol-news/policy-news-roundup-june-27-2024/

National report highlights severe cost of inadequate juvenile justice system
Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids released their report “Costly, Punitive Juvenile Justice Approaches Undermine Healthy Adolescent Development,” during a Zoom briefing that brought together experts to discuss the urgent need for reform in the juvenile justice system. The report shows that our juvenile justice system often fails to consider the realities of adolescent development. Adolescents, unlike adults, are still maturing cognitively, meaning they lack the capacity to effectively self-regulate, plan for the future, or control impulses.
https://jjie.org/2024/06/26/national-report-highlights-severe-cost-of-inadequate-juvenile-justice-system/

Nominations Now Open for First-Ever SAMHSA Trailblazers in Advancing Recovery (STAR) Awards
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
The STAR Awards honor leaders with lived experience of mental health and/or substance use conditions including youth and family members whose lives have been affected. In addition, the STAR Awards will recognize organizations that have demonstrated commitment to promoting equitable and inclusive access to wellness and recovery supports for individuals with mental health and/or substance use conditions.
https://www.samhsa.gov/spark/star-awards

Loneliness and Social Isolation Are Common in Rural America. Is “Social Infrastructure” the Solution?
Wednesday, June 12, 2024
While loneliness and social isolation are often viewed as individual problems or even personal failings, there is growing awareness of the structural factors contributing to widespread disconnection. Amid a national "loneliness epidemic," some rural leaders are finding ways to help their neighbors connect.
https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/rural-monitor/social-infrastructure

RxStat Executive Leadership: “A Comprehensive Reflection on the Overdose Crisis Response”
Tuesday, June 11, 2024
New York City RxStat Executive Leadership members reflect on over a decade of overdose crisis response, identifying positive outcomes and areas for improvement.
https://www.cossup.org/ResourceLibrary/Details/341cb116-62b6-49db-b9da-1be0997a47aa

Oppose Marijuana Rescheduling: Submit Your Public Comment Here
Monday, June 10, 2024
This spring, the Biden Administration announced plans to move marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to Schedule III of the CSA. This does not mean marijuana is legalized, but if implemented, moving marijuana to Schedule III would be a boon to the marijuana industry and further accelerate the proliferation of high-potency marijuana products in communities across the country. It is critical that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) receive as many comments against this rescheduling as possible, as the number of comments will make a difference in the final decision that is made. Provide the comments in the sample message below to the Department of Justice (DOJ) urging the DEA not to move marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act. All comments must be submitted by July 22, 2024.
https://www.cadca.org/advocate-now/?vvsrc=%2fCampaigns%2f116177%2fRespond

Changing the Course on Suicide: The Launch of a New National Strategy for Suicide Prevention
Thursday, June 6, 2024
The new National Strategy for Suicide Prevention launched by the Biden-Harris Administration. The strategy is a comprehensive approach that includes prevention, intervention, treatment, and postvention support. It addresses community-based suicide prevention, treatment and crisis services, surveillance, quality improvement, research, and for the first time, health equity and suicide prevention.
https://www.samhsa.gov/blog/changing-course-suicide-launch-new-national-strategy-suicide-prevention

Cannabis Tip Sheets Series
Saturday, June 1, 2024
The National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare (NCSACW) created this four-part tip sheet series for child welfare, SUD treatment, court, and health care professionals to provide an overview of cannabis use, and its effects during the prenatal period, in the home environment, and on adolescent development.
https://ncsacw.acf.hhs.gov/topics/childhood-and-adolescence/cannabis-series/

Champion of Recovery: Si'Andra Lewis, RCPRS
Friday, May 31, 2024
Si'Andra Lewis is the Statewide Peer Recovery Specialist Coordinator for the Virginia Department of Corrections. Discusses her experiences in this role, the challenges she faced, and the opportunities available to justice-involved individuals.
https://www.cossup.org/ResourceLibrary/Details/0637aae3-9e28-4257-9c55-9351fae89498

Age-dependent association of cannabis use with risk of psychotic disorder
Wednesday, May 22, 2024
This study provides new evidence of a strong but age-dependent association between cannabis use and risk of psychotic disorder, consistent with the neurodevelopmental theory that adolescence is a vulnerable time to use cannabis. The strength of association during adolescence was notably greater than in previous studies, possibly reflecting the recent rise in cannabis potency.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/agedependent-association-of-cannabis-use-with-risk-of-psychotic-disorder/BDCA0F73CDD7AF150D6FDCF89D29DC7F

‘We were shocked’: Vaping considerably increases lung cancer risk among people who smoke
Monday, May 20, 2024
People who vaped and smoked cigarettes appeared four times more likely to develop lung cancer compared with those who only smoked, according to study results presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting. Marisa A. Bittoni, PhD, MS, research assistant professor at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center — Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, and colleagues conducted a case-control study to evaluate links between vaping, smoking, and lung cancer.
https://www.healio.com/news/hematology-oncology/20240510/we-were-shocked-vaping-considerably-increases-lung-cancer-risk-among-people-who-smoke

Empower Vape-Free Youth Campaign
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
The Empower Vape-Free YouthTM campaign encourages middle and high school educators to speak with students about the risks of e-cigarettes and nicotine addiction. The campaign includes resources for educators to help students avoid or quit vaping.
https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/e-cigarettes/empower-vape-free-youth-campaign.html?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/basic_information/e-cigarettes/vapefreeyouth.html

More than 321,000 U.S. children lost a parent to drug overdose from 2011 to 2021
Wednesday, May 8, 2024
The rate of children who experienced this loss more than doubled during this period, from approximately 27 to 63 children per 100,000. This study was a collaborative effort led by researchers at the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
https://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/press-announcements/20240508/more-than-321000-us-children-lost-parent-to-drug-overdose

Reflections on Reentry Podcast: Youth for Change: A Chat with Sarah and Karen
Friday, April 26, 2024
During the week of April 12, 2024, American Institutes for Research consultants Joe Williams and Heather Erwin sat down with representatives from Youth for Change (YFC), Sarah Feingold and Karen Eley, to discuss youth-led reentry planning. AIR works in partnership with the Department of Justice's office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention to run the Youth Reentry Training and Technical Assistance Center, which provides support for grantees awarded Federal Second Chance Act funding. Youth for Change (YFC) is an inclusive, caring, and resilient agency that works from a set of core values that allows for the delivery of trauma informed, culturally sensitive, and client centered services.
https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/media/video/40406

Rural Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) Toolkit
Friday, October 22, 2021
This toolkit compiles evidence-based and promising models and resources to support organizations implementing rural MOUD programs across the United States. The modules in the toolkit contain resources and information focused on developing, implementing, evaluating, and sustaining a rural MOUD program.
https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/toolkits/moud

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