Alcohol / Drug Council of North Carolina

Save The Date–Obama Campaign to talk with Coalition

acox — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:59:43 +0000

The Coalition has been contacted by the Obama/Biden campaign with an offer to speak with North Carolina MH/DD/SA advocates about the campaign’s position on these related issues. The campaign will be sending a representative from their policy committee to speak with and answer questions from Coalition members and the public on Tuesday, October 21st at Meredith College. The specific time has not yet been set. We are looking at a late afternoon or evening timeframe. When the details are finalized another update will follow.

Please spread the word and plan to attend!

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Health Services Research on the Prevention and Treatment of Drug and Alcohol Abuse

acox — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:55:38 +0000

This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) issued by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) encourages Research Project Grant (R01) applications on health services research to improve the quality of prevention and treatment services for drug and alcohol abuse. Such research projects might emphasize any of the following subjects: (1) clinical quality improvement; (2) organizational/managerial quality improvement; (3) systems of care and collaborative research; or (4) development or improvement of research methodology, analytic approaches, and measurement instrumentation used in the study of drug and alcohol services. -Mechanism of Support. This FOA will utilize the NIH Research Project Grant (R01) award mechanism and runs in parallel with FOAs of identical scientific scope, PA-08-264 and PA-08-265 that encourage applications under the Exploratory/Developmental Grant (R21) and Small Research Grant (R03) award mechanisms, respectively. -Funds Available and Anticipated Number of Awards. Because the nature and scope of the proposed research will vary from application to application, it is anticipated that the size and duration of each award will also vary. The total amount awarded and the number of awards will depend upon the mechanism numbers, quality, duration, and costs of the applications received.

For full details on this grant click on the link below:

http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=42991

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Addiction Parity Signed into Law by President

acox — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 14:40:11 +0000

CADCA APPLAUDS PRESIDENT FOR SIGNING HISTORIC

ADDICTION & MENTAL HEALTH PARITY LEGISLATION INTO LAW

Law requires health plans to provide same benefits for substance abuse disorders Washington, D.C. – Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA) commends the President for signing the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, which will improve access to lifesaving addiction and mental health treatment by eliminating the discriminatory barriers that have kept thousands of Americans with substance use and mental health disorders from receiving the care they need, into law. The measure was included in the economic recovery bill, which was approved earlier today by the U.S. House of Representatives. The same package was approved by the U.S. Senate on October 1.

CADCA has collaborated with a number of national coalitions and organizations to help pass addiction and mental health parity legislation for more than a decade. This new legislation will end health insurance benefits inequity between addiction/mental health illnesses and medical/surgical benefits for group health plans with more than 50 employees. When the law is enacted, 113 million people across the country will have the right to non-discriminatory substance abuse and mental health coverage.

“This is a historic day for families in America . All of us have been touched in some way by addiction or mental illnesses, whether through a family member or a friend. This historic legislation ensures that those suffering from addiction or mental illness can receive the same type of health coverage that others with a physical disease receive,” said Gen. Arthur T. Dean, CADCA Chairman and CEO.

Under the bill, health insurance plans sponsored by businesses with more than 50 employees will be prohibited from imposing day and visit limits or applying different deductibles, co-pays, and out-of-network charges. The legislation would protect state laws that provide greater protection than the federal law, extend out-of-network coverage for substance use disorders and mental illness where there is out-of-network coverage for medical and surgical conditions, and require that medical necessity criteria and reasons for any denials of reimbursement be available to participants and beneficiaries upon request. The lead sponsors of the bill in the House were Representatives Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Jim Ramstad (R-MN). In the Senate, the bill was championed by Senators Domenici (R-NM) and Senator Kennedy (D-MA).

# # # About CADCA

CADCA (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America), is the national membership organization representing

coalitions working to make America ’s communities safe, healthy and drug-free.

CADCA’s mission is to build and strengthen the capacity of community coalitions by providing technical assistance and training, public policy advocacy, media strategies and marketing programs, conferences, and special events.

For more information about CADCA, visit www.cadca.org

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10th Annual Carolinas Conference

acox — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:10:40 +0000

Conference Dates: October 28-31, 2008

Location: Chapel Hill, NC

The theme for the conference is Integrative Care: A Holistic Approach to Recovery:

Click the following link below for conference details and registration:

http://addictionrecoveryinstitute.org/ccar/index.html

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New National Poll Reveals Public Attitudes on Substance Abuse, Treatment and the Prospects of Recovery

acox — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:54:49 +0000

Here’s an interesting article on public attitude. Click the following link for full article: http://presszoom.com/story_146153.html

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Prescription Drug Abuse More Than Most Other Drug Abuse Combined

acox — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:48:34 +0000

Here is a good article about Prescription Drug Abuse. Click the following link to view the full article:

http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=63279&cat=15

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Knowledge Dissemination Conference Grants Program Announcement

acox — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:33:39 +0000

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announces SAMHSA’s Knowledge Dissemination Conference Grants program (also referred to as SAMHSA Conference Grants). The purpose of the Conference Grant program is to disseminate knowledge about practices within the mental health services and substance abuse prevention and treatment fields and to integrate that knowledge into real-world practice as effectively and efficiently as possible. It is not the practice of SAMHSA to provide total support for planned meetings and conferences. The maximum Conference Grant award is $50,000 for a 12-month project period.

To learn more about this grant go to:

http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&flag2006=false&oppId=42848

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Congress Passes Historic Mental Health Parity Bill

acox — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:31:27 +0000

By Psych Central News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on September 24, 2008

Wednesday, Sep 24 (Psych Central) — After over a decade of struggling and aborted attempts, Congress passed a bill yesterday that provides for equal treatment of mental health, alcohol and substance abuse disorders, ending a decades’ long practice of discrimination against these concerns by insurance companies and employers.

Read full article at:

http://psychcentral.com/news/2008/09/24/congress-passes-historic-mental-health-parity-bill/2999.html

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Scholarships for National Guard Assessment LCAS’s

acox — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:32:19 +0000

The Outerbanks Conference is coming up soon, October 8-10. If you are an LCAS that is part of the National Guard assessment program please know that their are scholarships available if you would like to attend the conference. Please indicate if you would like a full or partial scholarship and email your request to info@alcoholdrughelp.org.

You can register for the event on our website and check the “applied for scholarship” box at the bottom of the registration page so we know you have applied for a scholarship to attend.

Please contact us if you have any questions.

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Recovery Delegate From NC

acox — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:02:06 +0000

Congratulations to Joseph Martinez, JD! Joseph has been selected by A&E Network and National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. to be the North Carolina delegate to the national Recovery Rally in New York on September 27th. The “Recovery Rally” is a national celebration that will bring together thousands of people in recovery and recovery supporters from across the country to form a human chain - a living symbol of recovery - across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Joseph is the Executive Director of FIRST at Blue Ridge Inc., an 105 bed men’s substance abuse treatment and vocational training center with an annual operating budget of over one million dollars. Responsibilities include the development of new funding sources, maintenance of existing contracts with vocational training partners, NC Department of Corrections and Community control, the operation and development of existing and future internal companies with a focus on vocational training, employability, life skills, and maintaining a drug free life style. Guided the agency to becoming only the second such licensed facility in the state as well as writing and receiving grants from United Way, North Carolina ABC Board, Kate B. Reynolds, Cannon, and Janirve Foundations and others. Developed an additional 20 bed program on the FIRST campus for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) which provides 12 months of room, board and treatment for substance abusing homeless veterans.

We are proud to have him representing our state at this national event. To learn more about this event click the following link: http://www.aetv.com/real-life-change/

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