HIV Education in Disguise: A soap opera for social change

June 27, 2016

Maureen Fitzgerald
Communications Coordinator, ATTC Network
Editor, NIATx

Can a telenovela (soap opera) change attitudes and behaviors about HIV testing, treatment, and prevention?

Hilda Sandoval, PhD, and Natalie Sanchez, MPH, think so. They both work at AltaMed, a federally qualified health center (FQHC) in Los Angeles. In fact, AltaMed is the nation's largest FQHC. It's also the largest HIV medical provider for Latinos in Southern California. Sanchez is the Clinic Administrator of Alta Med's HIV Department, and Sandoval serves as the Mental Health manager.

They've teamed up to create Sin Vergüenza, (Without Shame) the gripping story of three generations of the Salazar family: a fictional Mexican-American family living in Los Angeles and dealing with HIV/AIDs. The seven episodes of the mini series are available for viewing in English or Spanish.  Sin Vergüenza does not air (yet) on network television.

You can watch the short episodes in English or Spanish on AltaMed's You Tube channel:  https://www.youtube.com/user/healthsvcs

Are we leveraging digital technology in addiction treatment?

June 7, 2016


David H. Gustafson
Director, NIATx and The Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies

The Center for Health Enhancement at the University of Wisconsin-Madison developed A-CHESS, a smartphone app for recovery support, based in part on ideas that emerged from experts in diverse fields and people suffering from addiction or affected by it. In 2009, in a Behavioral Healthcare article, I talked about key ingredients that a technology-based addiction treatment systems such as A-CHESS would need.

A lot of the identified, necessary ingredients weren't yet available when we first started thinking about a mobile app to assist those in recovery.

True or False? Management should have all the answers.

June 21, 2016

Thomas F. Hilton, PhD

Some managers think that they should have all the answers. This may be because they think that their subordinates will disrespect them if they are not perceived to be technically competent.

You could call this style "leading by telling."

Perhaps such managers think that telling people how to do their jobs demonstrates technical expertise--without realizing that being "told how" can also signal disrespect for someone else's technical competence.

Leading by telling risks creating a disempowering work climate, one that can lead lead to "satisficing": doing exactly what one is told, sufficient to satisfy the boss. No more, no less.

Technology Transfer in the Era of Social Media: Bite-size Video Series on Addiction and Recovery

May 31, 2016

Ned Presnall
Executive Director, Clayton Behavioral, St. Louis, Missouri
Adjunct Professor, Washington University

PlanYourRecovery.com was originally launched in 2011 as a platform for documentary testimonials about the effectiveness of methadone, buprenorphine, and extended-release naltrexone in the treatment of opioid dependence.

Lamenting the stigma against Medication-Assisted Treatment in Missouri, I had lured my high school friend and artist, Nick Niles, from his home in Zurich to join me in traveling around eastern Missouri, filming persons in recovery with their families. It was a shoe-string operation. We had each taken a week off from work and were interviewing and filming from morning to night. Today, two 15-minute videos are still available on our website and YouTube channel, one of a person recovering with buprenorphine maintenance and the other with methadone.

What's New This Week in the ATTC Network

May 24, 2016

Maureen Fitzgerald
ATTC Network Coordinating Office

The ATTC Network brings the addiction treatment and recovery services field a range of new publications, webinars, and training resources each week. This week, for example, brings you a new resource on integrating substance use disorder treatment with other health care, a webinar on teen use of e-cigarettes, vaping, and dipping, and easier access to ATTC bilingual resources.