No More Excuses: Implementing Technology to Improve Substance Use Disorder Services

May 23, 2017

Terra Hamblin, M.A., NCC, DCC

Project Manager

National Frontier and Rural ATTC

• Seven billion people (95% of the global population) live in an area covered by a mobile-cellular network. (Bhuyan et al., 2016) 
• By 2018, an estimated 50% of the more than 3.4 billion smartphone and tablet users will have downloaded mHealth apps. (Kuersten, 2010) 
• Use of online and mobile technologies is increasing as consumers rely on Internet and smartphone-based tools for health information and tracking. (Ramsey et al., 2016) 
• 80% of providers want to be alerted if their client is at risk of relapse; only 8% would want an immediate alert (Muench, 2015).  Current evidence demonstrates patients use and are interested in using technologies as part of their treatment or continuing support. Understanding how technology can be implemented is a critical first step towards successful adoption of technology-assisted care.

Technology can be a powerful partner in helping people manage their health conditions. Are you prepared to offer technology-based services? 

Marijuana Legalization is a Process and We Haven't Reached the Midway Point

May 11, 2017

Jonathan Caulkins, PhD
H. Guyford Stever University Professor of Operations Research and Public Policy
Carnegie Mellon University, Heinz College

On August 28, 2017, the National Council for Behavioral Health, Advocates for Human Potential (AHP) and the ATTC Network are partnering to host the  2017 National Cannabis Summit in Denver: An objective national forum for changing public policy, public health, treatment and research. In today's blog post, drug policy researcher and National Cannabis Summit plenary speaker Jon Caulkins muses on how marijuana legalization might evolve over the next 25 years. 

Colorado and Washington State legalized large-scale commercial production and marketing of cannabis for non-medical use in November, 2012. Almost immediately reporters started asking: “How has legalization turned out?”

I try to answer helpfully. Some results were predictable, such as declining prices. Others were less anticipated and so are truly news. My top three might include the proliferation of extract-based products, consumption increases coming largely from increased intensity of use rather than increased prevalence, and industry lobbyists replacing do-gooders as the drivers of liberalization.

Yet such comments, though true, are woefully incomplete.

National Academies Report Charts Course to Elimination of Hepatitis B & C

May 1, 2017


Cross-posted from Viral Hepatitis Blog at HHS.gov

By: Richard Wolitski, Ph.D., Director, Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Corinna Dan, R.N., M.P.H., Viral Hepatitis Policy Advisor, Office of HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease Policy, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

A new report from the National Academies makes recommendations for eliminating hepatitis B & C in the U.S. by 2030, complementing National Viral Hepatitis Action Plan.

Read the complete post. 

Myth busters #5, Part 2: There's no right way to make promotion decisions

April 25, 2017

Thomas F. Hilton, PhD

In Myth busters #5, Part 1, guest blogger Tom Hilton talked about the importance of leadership competencies in improving organizational performance. Part 2 continues the discussion: 

Why do leadership competencies matter? 

Researcher and Harvard psychology professor David McClelland found that as you move to higher and higher levels of responsibility, leadership ability begins to overshadow technical skill. Of course, in the health field, many supervisory positions in clinics require educational credentials, licensure, and technical skills. However, if people cannot also lead, they will make ineffective bosses regardless of their professional accomplishments. Bill Gates might be a technological wizard, but Microsoft would never have become the corporate giant it is today without his ability to energize, inspire, and animate a rapidly growing workforce. 

How do you stop the downward spiral due to bad leadership? The answer depends. Surely replacing the person in charge can be a solution—when it is feasible. That is not always the case. Another strategy is for directors to diffuse leadership responsibilities by creating self-managed teams (SMTs) where workgroups report to the boss as a group—no supervisor. SMTs usually reinfuse empowerment among team members and begin to turn things around. Creating SMTs usually requires an outside consultant to coach the change. 

Alcohol in the Dairy State: Can Wisconsin Change its Drinking Culture?

April 10, 2017

Maureen Fitzgerald
Communications Coordinator, ATTC Network Coordinating Office
Editor, NIATx

Wisconsin gets a lot of attention for its alcohol culture. And during April, Alcohol Awareness Month, it’s hard not to be reminded of the news and statistics about alcohol use in the Dairy State—especially if it’s your home state.  (The NIATx main office and the ATTC Network Coordinating Office are both located at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.)

For example, last year, Wisconsin made national headlines as the location of 12 (yes, 12!) of the “drunkest” cities in the United States. The online news outlet 24/7 Wall St. published the report, which was based on a review of self-reported data on heavy and binge drinking rates across the country.

Julia Sherman, Coordinator of the Wisconsin Alcohol Policy Project  (WAPP) at the University of Wisconsin Law School, says the report is misleading, but acknowledges Wisconsin has a serious alcohol problem. “The writers at 24/7 Wall Street used aggregated county-wide data and made a judgement about individual municipalities. Interesting story but flawed analysis,”  says Sherman.

Still, there’s no doubt that Wisconsin has a serious problem with over consumption of alcohol:

• A 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) report estimated Wisconsin’s rate of impaired driving at 24 percent—almost twice the national average of 13 percent. [1]
• In 2014, Wisconsin had the nation’s third-highest rate of adult binge drinking.[2] (That’s an improvement from previous years when the state ranked highest in that category.)
• Each year, Wisconsin residents (age 18 or older) consume 143 more servings of alcohol than the average American. [3]