News

FYI


 

Drug Court Treatment Grants

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is accepting applications for Grants to Expand Substance Abuse Treatment Capacity for Drug Courts. Up to 18 grants will be funded for up to $300,000 each. This program will enhance substance abuse treatment services in “problem-solving” courts that use the treatment drug court model for defendants and offenders. The application deadline is April 10, 2008. To download the grant announcement, visit

www.samhsa.gov/Grants/2008/ti_08_007.aspx

Help Preschoolers Turn Off the TV

The TV Time kit is available to encourage parents to control television privileges. The kit contains viewing tickets in 15-minute intervals, as most preschool TV shows have two 15-minute episodes. The child deposits the tickets into a special box, and a timer allows the child to see when 15 minutes have elapsed. Kits cost $19.50 plus shipping and handling and include 32 colorful TV tickets, a box for depositing tickets into, and 2 movie tickets. For more information, visit My Child, My Parent, LLC at

www.mytvtime.com

Evidence-Based Practices on the Web

A Web page developed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration features 37 sites containing information on evidence-based interventions for the prevention or treatment of mental and substance abuse disorders. The page–A Guide to Evidence-Based Practices on the Web–also provides access to reviews of current research findings. Users can browse for information by content area, age group, or treatment setting by visiting

www.samhsa.gov/ebpWebguide

Impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

The report entitled “Impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on Substance Use and Mental Health” says that adults who were forced to leave their homes for 2 weeks or more during the two natural disasters were much more likely to report problems with substance abuse than those who were not similarly dislocated. The report, which is available for free from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, can be found at

www.oas.samhsa.gov/2k8/katrina/katrina.cfm

AIDS/HIV, Drug Abuse Program Grants

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is accepting applications for grants to strengthen ethnic communities' drug abuse treatment, outreach, and prevention services administered in conjunction with HIV/AIDS treatment. For more information, visit

www.samhsa.gov/Grants/2008/ti_08_006.aspx

Quality Reporting Web Site

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has reorganized the Web site for the Physician Quality Reporting Initiative to provide easier access to 2008 information. The site also includes downloadable documents with quality measurement specifications for providers. For more information, visit

www.cms.hhs.gov/PQRI

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