A Few of My Favorite Things....ATTC Network 2013

January 7, 2014

Laurie Krom, MS
Director of Education & Communications,
Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network Coordinating Office

Before we started bingeing on TV shows via Netflix, Amazon Prime or Hulu Plus, most of us had to wait until a favorite movie was actually aired on television in order to be able to see it. I have fond childhood memories of anticipating the showing of The Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and other classics. 

So, like many of you, I was excited to learn that this tradition was being resurrected with NBC’s remake of The Sound of Music, which was aired live on December 5, 2013. Of course, thanks to DVR, I didn’t actually watch Carrie Underwood and crew on that particular date.  

 I did, however, see all of the reviews of the performance via my Facebook and Twitter feeds. Whether viewers liked the new Sound of Music or not, many did appreciate the chance to reminisce about the good ole days when we only had the opportunity to see Julie Andrews in the musical once or twice a year. We also were happy for the chance to share some of the beloved songs with our children (because, honestly, if the movie hadn’t been on television many of us, including myself, never would rent and watch it). And so, it is in honor of NBC’s valiant effort to bring all of us back in time and to introduce a fun, family-friendly move to a new generation that I want to share with you some of MY FAVORITE THINGS that were produced by the ATTC Network in the past year.

Webinars/Presentations

·       Dr. Timothy Condon’s “Neuroscience of Addiction” webinar delivered as part of the ATTC Network’s regular Third Thursday iTraining series

·       Dr. Kate Speck’s three-part webinar series entitled, “Introduction to Motivational Interviewing for Non-Clinicians,” which she presented as part of the Mid-America ATTC’s Webwise Lunch Series

·       For the National Hispanic and Latino ATTC, Dr. Luis Torres delivered a webinar entitled, “Meet your new clients: Hispanics and Latinos/Conozca a sus nuevos clients: Hispanos y Latinos”

Events

·       2013 Addiction Treatment Telehealth Summit: A Forum for Telehealth Pioneers: The National Frontier and Rural ATTC convened group of early telehealth adopters to provide an opportunity for the group to share their experiences with implementing telehealth services in addiction treatment settings and to inform the work plan of the ATTC.

·       Leading Healthcare Transformation: The Northwest ATTC partnered with Rethink Health, a group of visionary leaders committed to reviving the US Health system, to offer a three-day leadership workshop for behavioral and primary care providers and administrators.

·       Leadership Institute Task Force Meeting: The National Native American and Alaska Native ATTC held this meeting of tribal leaders to develop a cultural adaptation of the ATTC Leadership Institute and a recruitment plan that will promote American Indians and Alaska Natives to take leadership roles. This project will continue to grow in 2014.

Products

·       From the Pacific Southwest and South Southwest ATTCs - Will it Turn You into a Zombie: What Clinicians Need to Know about Synthetic Drugs. The purpose of this introductory training is to provide clinicians with a detailed overview of synthetic drugs, most notably synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones (known on the street as K2, Spice, and Bath Salts).

·       From the National Frontier and Rural ATTC – Telehealth Session Video. This video portrays a telehealth counseling session. It provides examples and shows how effective telehealth can be in substance abuse treatment.

·       From the National Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) ATTC – SBIRT Trainers Registry. This database of individuals who have successfully completed a national training-of-trainers course on SBIRT is searchable by trainer name, state or region.

·       From the Central East ATTC – Adverse Childhood Experiences Mobile App. This learning tool makes the ACE Quiz and other resources easily available on mobile devices.

·       From the Great Lakes ATTC – Addiction Recovery and Intimate Violence online course. This 5-hour self-paced course prepares counselors to carry out conversational screening, brief interventions, and referral using the Addiction Recovery and Intimate Violence (ARIV) flowchart.

As we say auf Wiedersehen to 2013, I want to thank all the members of the ATTC Network for their hard work and continued commitment to promoting the adoption and implementation of evidence-based, recovery-oriented, culturally competent practices to treat substance use disorders. From this brief list of highlights from the past year, it is obvious that we stand strong as a Network. What were some of the highlights of 2013 for you, and what are you looking forward to in 2014?  Let us know in the comments section that follows.  

Willkommen 2014 and Happy New Year to all! 

Laurie Krom, MS, is the Director of Education & Communications for the Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network Coordinating Office. In this capacity, Ms. Krom is responsible for leading innovative national strategies to advance the ATTC Network and strengthen the substance use disorder workforce through the increased adoption of evidence-based practices. Ms. Krom is an experienced educator, instructional designer, and technology transfer specialist.  Ms. Krom holds a Master’s degree in Adult and Continuing Education from Kansas State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Hispanic Studies from Vassar College.