January 2019 Monthly Update from SAMHSA’s Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistance Center Strategy (BRSS TACS).

CAMHPRO disclaimer: The deadlines of these webinars are from January, so they may not be available, but please look at the material for updates and resources. Thank you.

Welcome to the January 2019 Monthly Update from SAMHSA’s Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistance Center Strategy (BRSS TACS). BRSS TACS monthly updates highlight upcoming events and resources that promote recovery.

In This Issue:

Recovery LIVE! Virtual Event: “What Does the Data Say? Effective Use of Recovery Supports in Various Treatment and Healthcare Settings”— January 24
Ask the Expert
Webinar: “Building Healthy Communities: The Role of Behavioral Health in Advancing Health Equity and Optimal Health for All”
Infographics Demonstrate Value of Peer Supports
BRSS TACS 2019 Capacity Building Opportunity
SAMHSA Reimagined
New Report: Drug and Opioid-Involved Overdose Deaths — United States, 2013–2017
Recommended Recovery Resources

Recovery LIVE! Virtual Event

What Does the Data Say? Effective Use of Recovery Supports in Various Treatment and Healthcare Settings

Thursday, January 24, 2:00–3:00 p.m. EST

BRSS TACS invites you to join national experts in a conversation about using research and program data to communicate the effectiveness of recovery supports.

Presenters will discuss real-life examples and strategies for measuring and using program data to communicate effectiveness and reinforce the value of recovery supports in treatment and healthcare settings. They will share data from several research studies on the effectiveness of recovery supports and recent data from the Association of Recovery Community Organizations.

This event supports critical SAMHSA strategic priorities as described in the SAMHSA FY2019–FY2023 Strategic Plan, including activities related to the Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee (ISMICC) to improve the lives of individuals living with serious mental illness or serious emotional disturbances and their families. For example, included in the 45 recommendations in the ISMICC’s seminal report, issued in December 2017, is a focus on developing standards that include a full spectrum of integrated, complementary services known to be effective and to improve outcomes. These standards include team-based models of care delivery that are interdisciplinary and incorporate peer and family support specialists as a matter of routine practice.

Presenters include Phil Rutherford, Director of Operations, Faces and Voices of Recovery; Annette Crisanti, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of New Mexico; and Jennifer Chadukiewicz, Recovery Coach Program Manager, Connecticut Community for Addiction Recovery (CCAR).

Join us for this free, interactive virtual event, moderated by BRSS TACS Deputy Director Steven Samra.

Ask the Expert

Justine Hanson, Senior Associate at the Center for Social Innovation, discusses research behind peer-delivered recovery supports.

Question: What does research say about the effectiveness of peer-delivered recovery supports?

Answer:

There is evidence that peer support may

increase access to and engagement in treatment;
improve treatment retention;
reduce substance use;
increase empowerment, hope, and quality of life;
lead to improved social supports and better relationships with treatment and service providers and practitioners;
reduce criminal justice involvement; and
contribute to a range of improvements in recovery-related outcomes.

However, research has not kept pace with the exponential growth of peer support services being provided in a multitude of settings for people of all ages, often with different needs, by peers with varying levels of training, supervision, and experience. Not surprisingly, the strongest evidence base is for the oldest and most-researched forms of peer support: mutual help groups, peer-led structured group interventions (like Wellness Recovery Action Planning or WRAP), and recovery housing.

It is critical to broaden the research base to include all forms of peer recovery support at all stages of life. Programs can help build practice-based evidenceby using a range of methods to evaluate peer services and sharing their results widely.

Image os a man and woman talking and drinking coffee with a dog

Webinar: “Building Healthy Communities: The Role of Behavioral Health in Advancing Health Equity and Optimal Health for All”

The National Council on Behavioral Health is hosting a webinar on January 23, 2019, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. EST, focused on successfully advancing health equity and achieving health for all.

This webinar will focus on addressing tobacco use and mental and substance use disorders by changing the narrative about what creates health, implementing health in all policies and systems agendas and building community capacity to improve health for all.” Register and find out more today.

Infographics Demonstrate Value of Peer Supports

BRSS TACS offers several 2-page documents that use data to illustrate the value of peer recovery supports for people with mental or substance use disorders.

You can find these Peer Support Resources in English and in Spanish on the BRSS TACS website .

BRSS TACS 2019 Capacity Building Opportunity

BRSS TACS is pleased to announce the 2019 Capacity Building Opportunity, an intensive technical assistance opportunity offering sustained, individualized consultation, training, and peer-to-peer support. Up to 25 peer-run, recovery community, family-run, or youth- and young adult-run organizations will be chosen to participate in one of five focus areas:

Partnering With State Systems to Advance Recovery
Developing an Integrated Workforce
Building Infrastructure and Organizational Capacity
Sustaining Access to Treatment and Recovery in Educational Settings
Supporting Reintegration

For more information on eligibility and how to apply, please review the overview and application. Applications are due by Thursday, January 31, 2019, at 8:00 p.m. EST.  If you have any questions, please send an email to BRSS TACS.

New Report: Drug and Opioid-Involved Overdose Deaths— United States, 2013-2017

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released a Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report focused on drug and opioid-involved overdose deaths. Among the 70,237 drug overdose deaths in 2017, 47,600 (67.8%) involved opioids, with increases from 2016 among age groups, racial/ethnic groups, and other demographic groups. Between 2016 and 2017, there was a 45.2% increase in synthetic opioid-involved overdose death rates. Check out the full weekly report for more information.

SAMHSA Reimagined

SAMHSA recently published a review of its 2018 accomplishments. The following are just three examples of many notable achievements:

The SAMHSA Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality released results from the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The data show that the number of new heroin users decreased by more than 50 % from the previous year.
The Opioid State Targeted Response Program awarded $500M to states to develop prevention, treatment, and recovery systems to address the opioid crisis. The program provided services for over 121,000 people, trained 396,000 people, and offered 1,300 funded organizations at least one form of medication-assisted treatment in 2018.
SAMHSA launched an effort in which 23 states will be creating real-time bed registries to identify available beds and post-crisis follow-up services for people living with serious mental illness.

Check out the full review and learn more about SAMHSA’s 2018 accomplishments.

Recommended Recovery Resources

Request Technical Assistance

BRSS TACS offers free technical assistance, training and learning opportunities on recovery supports and services. We deliver training and technical assistance in a variety of formats, including consultations, virtual and in-person events and meetings, and online resources. Request technical assistanceor email technicalassistancebrsstacs@center4si.com.

About BRSS TACS

BRSS TACS helps programs, systems, states, territories, and tribes as they implement effective recovery supports and services for individuals of all ages and diverse populations with mental or substance use disorders or co-occurring mental and substance use disorders.

SAMHSA’s mission is to reduce the impact of substance use and mental illness on America’s communities.

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Joining BRSS TACS Listserv

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Disclaimer: This newsletter was supported by contract number HHSS2832012000351/HHSS28342002T from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The views, opinions, and content of the newsletter are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of SAMHSA or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).