The Annapolis Coalition - Substance Use Disorders

Substance Use Disorders

Overview

Behavioral Health and Addictions

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports in The DASIS Report (March 11, 2005) that on any given day over 1 million Americans are enrolled in substance abuse treatment somewhere in this country. That figure represents less than 20 percent of those currently suffering from a treatable substance use disorder. To address the gap in accessibility of treatment SAMHSA is currently committing $1.6 billion to support State efforts to build and expand their capacity for substance abuse treatment and to improve treatment systems. There is also increased recognition that over 7 million people who suffer from at least one serious mental disorder also have a substance abuse problem. Collaboration across the substance abuse and mental health fields has accelerated in recent years to better serve those with co-occurring disorders. With regard to prevention, a major federal initiative is also underway to build a science-based strategic framework within each State that engages individuals, families and entire communities in activities that are evidence-based and aimed at the prevention of illicit drug use and underage drinking. Considering all these data, the significant connection between behavioral health problems and addictions to alcohol and other drugs is without question.

Workforce Issues and Problems

As federal and state programs move to increase the availability of substance abuse prevention and treatment services, the need for qualified workers also increases. It is becoming increasingly difficult to fill staff vacancies with qualified addiction treatment or prevention specialists. The problem is really threefold. There is a need to increase the number of people who graduate each year from academic and field-based training programs in order to keep pace with growth in the field. Yet, there are few incentives for recruiting or entering a professional training program. Salaries are low and career advancement opportunities not well understood. At the same time, turnover rates in community agencies run as high as 25 percent, meaning that agencies are in a constant state of recruitment and competition for qualified personnel who are in increasingly short supply. Third, the training programs that prepare substance abuse prevention and treatment specialists lack uniform standards. They exist in community colleges, four year institutions and graduate schools, but there is no agreement as to how those programs differ, what curricula are used and how much, if any, supervised field work is required before the graduate is eligible for employment in the field.

Promising Initiatives

Workforce development needs are being noticed at the federal and state level. The SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Treatment sponsors the Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) network and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention supports the Centers for the Application of Prevention Technologies (CAPT). Both networks now include all 50 states and territories in their service area. The ATTC program focuses on improving standards of education and treatment and the dissemination of research-based strategies and tools at the community level, while the CAPT network emphasizes the training and development of prevention specialists and the use of evidence-based practices in the design of community prevention programs. The Annapolis Coalition project to create a national strategic plan for behavioral health workforce development will yield a practical set of recommendations to address the problems sketched out above. That plan, with support from SAMHSA, will hopefully give rise to new initiatives at the federal, state and local levels that will begin to solve what is quickly becoming a behavioral health care workforce crisis.

Links

SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment

http://csat.samhsa.gov/

SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention

http://prevention.samhsa.gov/

Addiction Technology Transfer Center

http://www.nattc.org/

Resources

"Taking Action to Build A Stronger Addictions Workforce: An Update of Accomplishments," summary from the NeATTC Workforce Summit II, October 2006.
Taking Action to Build A Stronger Addictions Workforce
On October 19, 2005, the NeATTC held its second Workforce Summit where leaders from each state gathered to share updates on their workforce development programs, discuss challenges to implementation, and discuss new directions for workforce development. This monograph is a product of that Summit. Its goal is to serve both as a summary of ideas discussed in the Summit and as a model for other regions and states concerned about the condition of their SUD treatment workforce. It describes the strategies used by the NeATTC, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the outcome of those strategies when available, and next steps that the region and its member states are either considering or were suggested by Summit participants as possible options. It is the intention of the NeATTC that the strategies employed both in the NeATTC facilitation process and at the individual state level and described in this report will stand as a model for workforce development programs across the country and provide clear strategies by which other states can begin or continue to build their own SUD treatment workforce.

"Advancing the Current State of Addiction Treatment," March 2003.
This is a regional needs assessment of substance abuse treatment professionals in the Pacific Northwest
Advancing the Current State of Addiction Treatment

McCarty, D., “The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Workforce,” NIAA Frontlines, November 2002.
NIAA newsletter article on addiction treatment workforce.
Alcohol and Drug Abuse treatment Workforce

International Coalition for Addiction Studies Education (INCASE), April 2005.
Proceedings Report from INCASE conference.
INCASE Conference Proceedings Report

ATTC/IRETA Workforce Development Summit, January 2004.
Summary from Summit meeting, including pertinent facts about addiction workforce.
ATTC/IRETA Workforce Development Summit

Northeast ATTC Workforce Development Progress Report, Winter 2005.
Executive summary of New Jersey addiction workforce survey.
Northeast ATTC Workforce Development Progress Report

Northeast ATTC Addiction Workforce FactSheet.
Quick facts on addiction workforce.
Northeast ATTC Addiction Workforce FactSheet

Substance Abuse Treatment Workforce Survey Report.
Summary of findings, prepared for Arkansas addiction treatment providers, Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services, Offices of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention. 2004.
Substance Abuse Treatment Workforce Survey Report - Arkansas

Substance Abuse Treatment Workforce Survey Report.
Summary of findings, prepared for Missouri Addiction treatment Providers, Missouri Department of Mental Health. 2004.
Substance Abuse Treatment Workforce Survey Report - Missouri

Substance Abuse Treatment Workforce Survey Report.
Summary of findings prepared for Oklahoma Addiction Treatment Providers, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. 2004.
Substance Abuse Treatment Workforce Survey Report - Oklahoma

Strengthening Substance Abuse Treatment through Workforce Development.
Conference proceedings form the Southern Coast ATTC conference, February 1 -2, 2005 in Orlando.
Strengthening Substance Abuse Treatment through Workforce Development
(you need Adobe Acrobat® Reader to view this file. Click here to download a free copy.

BACK


Register for Updates Request Technical Assistance Contact Us
	Home About Us Action Plan Core Competencies Behavioral Health Pacesetter Award Governance Publications Presentations E-News Technical Assistance Links Innovation Register for Updates Special Topics Contact Us Join our mailing list	Substance Use Disorders Overview Behavioral Health and Addictions The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports in The DASIS Report (March 11, 2005) that on any given day over 1 million Americans are enrolled in substance abuse treatment somewhere in this country. That figure represents less than 20 percent of those currently suffering from a treatable substance use disorder. To address the gap in accessibility of treatment SAMHSA is currently committing $1.6 billion to support State efforts to build and expand their capacity for substance abuse treatment and to improve treatment systems. There is also increased recognition that over 7 million people who suffer from at least one serious mental disorder also have a substance abuse problem. Collaboration across the substance abuse and mental health fields has accelerated in recent years to better serve those with co-occurring disorders. With regard to prevention, a major federal initiative is also underway to build a science-based strategic framework within each State that engages individuals, families and entire communities in activities that are evidence-based and aimed at the prevention of illicit drug use and underage drinking. Considering all these data, the significant connection between behavioral health problems and addictions to alcohol and other drugs is without question. Workforce Issues and Problems As federal and state programs move to increase the availability of substance abuse prevention and treatment services, the need for qualified workers also increases. It is becoming increasingly difficult to fill staff vacancies with qualified addiction treatment or prevention specialists. The problem is really threefold. There is a need to increase the number of people who graduate each year from academic and field-based training programs in order to keep pace with growth in the field. Yet, there are few incentives for recruiting or entering a professional training program. Salaries are low and career advancement opportunities not well understood. At the same time, turnover rates in community agencies run as high as 25 percent, meaning that agencies are in a constant state of recruitment and competition for qualified personnel who are in increasingly short supply. Third, the training programs that prepare substance abuse prevention and treatment specialists lack uniform standards. They exist in community colleges, four year institutions and graduate schools, but there is no agreement as to how those programs differ, what curricula are used and how much, if any, supervised field work is required before the graduate is eligible for employment in the field. Promising Initiatives Workforce development needs are being noticed at the federal and state level. The SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Treatment sponsors the Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) network and the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention supports the Centers for the Application of Prevention Technologies (CAPT). Both networks now include all 50 states and territories in their service area. The ATTC program focuses on improving standards of education and treatment and the dissemination of research-based strategies and tools at the community level, while the CAPT network emphasizes the training and development of prevention specialists and the use of evidence-based practices in the design of community prevention programs. The Annapolis Coalition project to create a national strategic plan for behavioral health workforce development will yield a practical set of recommendations to address the problems sketched out above. That plan, with support from SAMHSA, will hopefully give rise to new initiatives at the federal, state and local levels that will begin to solve what is quickly becoming a behavioral health care workforce crisis. Links SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment http://csat.samhsa.gov/ SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention http://prevention.samhsa.gov/ Addiction Technology Transfer Center http://www.nattc.org/ Resources "Taking Action to Build A Stronger Addictions Workforce: An Update of Accomplishments," summary from the NeATTC Workforce Summit II, October 2006. Taking Action to Build A Stronger Addictions Workforce On October 19, 2005, the NeATTC held its second Workforce Summit where leaders from each state gathered to share updates on their workforce development programs, discuss challenges to implementation, and discuss new directions for workforce development. This monograph is a product of that Summit. Its goal is to serve both as a summary of ideas discussed in the Summit and as a model for other regions and states concerned about the condition of their SUD treatment workforce. It describes the strategies used by the NeATTC, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the outcome of those strategies when available, and next steps that the region and its member states are either considering or were suggested by Summit participants as possible options. It is the intention of the NeATTC that the strategies employed both in the NeATTC facilitation process and at the individual state level and described in this report will stand as a model for workforce development programs across the country and provide clear strategies by which other states can begin or continue to build their own SUD treatment workforce. "Advancing the Current State of Addiction Treatment," March 2003. This is a regional needs assessment of substance abuse treatment professionals in the Pacific Northwest Advancing the Current State of Addiction Treatment McCarty, D., “The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Workforce,” NIAA Frontlines, November 2002. NIAA newsletter article on addiction treatment workforce. Alcohol and Drug Abuse treatment Workforce International Coalition for Addiction Studies Education (INCASE), April 2005. Proceedings Report from INCASE conference. INCASE Conference Proceedings Report ATTC/IRETA Workforce Development Summit, January 2004. Summary from Summit meeting, including pertinent facts about addiction workforce. ATTC/IRETA Workforce Development Summit Northeast ATTC Workforce Development Progress Report, Winter 2005. Executive summary of New Jersey addiction workforce survey. Northeast ATTC Workforce Development Progress Report Northeast ATTC Addiction Workforce FactSheet. Quick facts on addiction workforce. Northeast ATTC Addiction Workforce FactSheet Substance Abuse Treatment Workforce Survey Report. Summary of findings, prepared for Arkansas addiction treatment providers, Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health Services, Offices of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention. 2004. Substance Abuse Treatment Workforce Survey Report - Arkansas Substance Abuse Treatment Workforce Survey Report. Summary of findings, prepared for Missouri Addiction treatment Providers, Missouri Department of Mental Health. 2004. Substance Abuse Treatment Workforce Survey Report - Missouri Substance Abuse Treatment Workforce Survey Report. Summary of findings prepared for Oklahoma Addiction Treatment Providers, Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. 2004. Substance Abuse Treatment Workforce Survey Report - Oklahoma Strengthening Substance Abuse Treatment through Workforce Development. Conference proceedings form the Southern Coast ATTC conference, February 1 -2, 2005 in Orlando. Strengthening Substance Abuse Treatment through Workforce Development (you need Adobe Acrobat® Reader to view this file. Click here to download a free copy. BACK