SAMHSA Headlines—Your one-stop source for the latest from SAMHSA.
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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, SAMHSA is offering several resources for mental and substance use disorder treatment providers and others. In addition, given the rapidly evolving situation with COVID-19, SAMHSA is providing regular updates via a new consolidated COVID-19 page. This page can be found at samhsa.gov/coronavirus. Please check for new updates.
COVID-19 Guidance for Opioid Treatment Programs
SAMHSA is offering guidance on pharmacotherapy for opioid use disorder availability in circumstances in which patients may be exposed to highly contagious infectious agents (such as COVID-19).
 SAMHSA is accepting applications for Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Grants (ROTA). The purpose of this program is to develop and disseminate training and technical assistance for rural communities on addressing opioid issues affecting these communities. Training and technical assistance can also be geared toward addressing stimulant issues in these communities.
SAMHSA plans to issue 5 awards of $550,000 for up to 2 years.
Application Due Date: Friday, May 8, 2020
 Training and events are available for practitioners through many of SAMHSA’s Training and Technical Assistance Centers. Some of these are highlighted below. Note that some of them require advance registration. Visit SAMHSA’s Practitioner Training webpage for a more complete listing. Note: If you are unable to access an event or webinar or have questions, please contact the source given at the individual event URL.
In response to the Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, SAMHSA is providing answers to Frequently Asked Questions regarding the provision of methadone and buprenorphine for the treatment of Opioid Use Disorder for new and existing patients.
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This document is being provided by SAMHSA as a sample set of Frequently Asked Questions. These have been reviewed and cleared by SAMHSA. States and programs are encouraged to review for potential consideration and application to their individual circumstances.
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In the event of an infectious disease outbreak, local officials may require the public to take measures to limit and control the spread of the disease. This tip sheet provides information about social distancing, quarantine, and isolation.
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Under the Ryan Haight Act of 2008, where controlled substances are prescribed by means of the Internet, the general requirement is that the prescribing Practitioner must have conducted at least one in-person medical evaluation of the patient. U.S.C. § 829(e). However, the Act provides an exception to this requirement. 21 U.S.C. § 829 (e)(3)(A).
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This handbook offers guidance in creating a disaster preparedness and recovery plan for programs that provide treatment for mental illness and substance use disorders. It describes the planning process, preparing for a disaster, roles and responsibilities, training, and testing.
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In response to the Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) pandemic, SAMHSA is providing COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Response and 42 CFR Part 2 guidance to ensure that substance use disorder treatment services are uninterrupted during this public health emergency.
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Under President Trump’s leadership, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has broadened access to Medicare telehealth services so that beneficiaries can receive a wider range of services from their doctors without having to travel to a healthcare facility. These policy changes build on the regulatory flexibilities granted under the President’s emergency declaration.
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On March 17, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S Department of Health and Human Services announced, effective immediately, that it will exercise its enforcement discretion and will waive potential penalties for HIPAA violations against health care providers that serve patients through everyday communications technologies during the COVID-19 nationwide public health emergency. In support of this action, OCR is providing further guidance explaining how covered health care providers can use remote video communication products and offer telehealth to patients responsibly.
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This updated (March 2020) TIP is intended to provide addiction counselors and other providers, supervisors, and administrators with the latest science in the screening, assessment, diagnosis, and management of co-occurring disorders.
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SAMHSA is accepting applications for Tribal Opioid Response grants (TOR). The program aims to address the opioid crisis in tribal communities by increasing access to culturally appropriate and evidence-based treatment, including medication-assisted treatment using one of the three FDA-approved medications for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD). In addition to focusing on OUD, recipients may also address stimulant misuse and use disorders, including cocaine and methamphetamine.
SAMHSA plans to issue 200 grants of up to $50,000,000 for up to 2 years.
Application Due Date: Monday, May 4, 2020
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SAMHSA is accepting applications for the Rural Emergency Medical Services Training grants (EMS Training). The purpose of this program is to recruit and train emergency medical services (EMS) personnel in rural areas. SAMHSA recognizes the great need for emergency services in rural areas and the critical role EMS personnel serve across the country.
SAMHSA plans to issue 25 grants of up to $200,000 per year for up to 1 year.
Application Due Date: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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SAMHSA is accepting applications for the State Pilot Grant Program for Treatment for Pregnant and Postpartum Women (PPW-PLT). The purpose of the program is to enhance flexibility in the use of funds designed to: 1) Support family-based services for pregnant and postpartum women with a primary diagnosis of a substance use disorder, including opioid use disorders; 2) Help state substance abuse agencies address the continuum of care, including services provided to pregnant and postpartum women in nonresidential-based settings; and 3) Promote a coordinated, effective, and efficient state system managed by state substance abuse agencies by encouraging new approaches and models of service delivery.
SAMHSA plans to issue 5 grants of up to $900,000 per year for up to 3 years.
Application Due Date: Monday, April 20, 2020
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Friday, March 20, 2020 1:30 p.m. EDT
Arizona has spent the past several decades developing a crisis system that is widely regarded as one of the most advanced in the nation. In this model, a robust continuum of services work together in concert to provide high-quality care in the least-restrictive setting that can safely meet the person’s needs while also ensuring fiscal sustainability and responsible stewardship of community resources.
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Tuesday, March 24, 2020 11:00 a.m. EDT
SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) provides practitioners with comprehensive guidance to more effectively address substance misuse and related behavioral health problems in their communities. This seven-part webinar series will explore this five-step, data-driven process to identify genuine prevention needs, build capacity and plans to address those needs, implement effective programs and interventions, and evaluate and continually improve prevention efforts.
Other webinars in this series will take place on April 21, May 19, June 23, July 21, and August 25 at 1:00 PM EDT.
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Tuesday, March 24, 2020 2:00 p.m. EDT
Sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth experience multiple challenges to their mental and physical well-being, which include higher suicide rates, substance use, and victimization in comparison to heterosexual youth. This webinar will address effective methods of:
1) culturally competent care for SGM youth patients, and
2) incorporating competent care for this population through illustrative case studies.
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Tuesday, March 24, 2020 4:00 p.m. EDT
This webinar is about the power of Courageous Conversations – a model for creating safe spaces for staff and students to have challenging, but necessary conversations about inequity. The presenter will review the four agreements of a courageous conversation, explain how to use the courageous conversation compass, and discuss ideas for starting courageous conversations in your classroom or school.
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Wednesday, March 25, 2020 11:00 a.m. EDT
The National CLAS Standards are intended to advance health equity, improve quality, and help eliminate health care disparities. This webinar will discuss how health care organizations need to ensure that awareness, adoption, and implementation of the National CLAS Standards are incorporated to have a more inclusive definition of culture in order to better serve transgender individuals.
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Wednesday, March 25, 2020 3:00 p.m. EDT
Crystal methamphetamine use is growing increasingly common among men who have sex with men (MSM) in the northeastern U.S., and is an important public health concern. This webinar will share preliminary themes emerging from a qualitative study of MSM who use crystal methamphetamine.
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Wednesday, March 25, 2020 12:00 p.m. EDT
In this webinar, participants will gain an understanding of recent technological trends in gaming, and how these trends have blurred the lines between what is gaming and gambling. The webinar will focus on the data, science, and trends, in particular, regarding the public health risks facing youth.
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Wednesday, March 25, 2020 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. EDT
This webinar will help prevention practitioners improve communications around substance use prevention in their communities with the Science of the Positive, a framework that promotes protective factors, increases healthy norms, and positively transforms community cultures.
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Thursday, March 26, 2020 2:00 p.m. EDT
This webinar will present socio-behavioral and mental health-related barriers to engagement in care for people with HIV, and discuss research to develop stigma reduction interventions to help people with HIV achieve HIV viral suppression and improve their overall quality of life.
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Thursday, March 26, 2020 1:00 p.m. EDT
The PS ECHO is an online community for Peer Recovery Specialists and Mental Health Peers to share community and statewide resources, learn new skills and tools for doing peer work, and meet and connect with other peers.
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Thursday, March 26, 2020 1:00 p.m. EDT
This webinar will discuss the ways behavioral health providers understand, assess, and manage chronic pain in the primary care setting.
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Thursday, March 26, 2020 12:00 p.m. EDT
Public health emergencies can provide a number of challenges for mental health facilities’ capacity to provide care to the populations they serve. This webinar will provide guidance on how these organizations can prepare for a public health crisis, develop continuity of operations plans, make needed service modifications, and address staffing concerns.
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Thursday, March 26, 2020 1:00 p.m. EDT
This is the sixth webinar in a six-part series to support and build the capacity of the prevention workforce. This webinar will discuss evaluation strategies, maintaining epidemiological surveillance efforts, and steps to developing and maintaining an evaluation feedback loop. It will also walk through ways that technology can be used to support the evaluation process.
Recovery Live! Treatment and Recovery Supports for Older Adults
Thursday, March 26, 2020 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EDT SAMHSA’s Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistance Center Strategy (BRSS TACS) invites you to join national experts in a conversation about how treatment and recovery services can best meet the needs of older adults.
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Friday, March 27, 2020 4:00 p.m. EDT
This webinar is section 1 of a multi-part series. Peer recovery support services are increasingly becoming an important part of the behavioral healthcare workforce. The objectives of this webinar are to:
- Identify training, resources, and orientation for current staff (administrators, clinicians, clinical directors, clients, etc.);
- Employ organizational walk-through and self-assessment;
- Demonstrate organizational fit of peer recovery support services and develop a comprehensive plan; and
- Prepare to anticipate and address concerns as they arise.
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Monday, March 30, 2020 1:30 p.m. EDT
Communities are increasingly recognizing that people in behavioral health crisis have diverse and complex needs, and that simply creating a single crisis response program does not meet those needs successfully. This webinar looks at developing and implementing excellent community behavioral health crisis systems.
National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week®
Monday, March 30–Sunday, April 5 National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week® (NDAFW), an annual health observance week, connects teens with experts to SHATTER THE MYTHS® about drugs and alcohol, with more than 2000 local events every year.
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Tuesday, March 31, 2020 1:00 p.m. EDT
This webinar series will introduce participants to recovery from Serious Mental Illness and many of the evidence-based and promising practices that support recovery. This session focuses on peer services.
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Tuesday, March 31, 2020 3:00 p.m. EDT
This is part three of a three-part series. Many rural communities are exploring the use of mental health courts as a potential avenue for addressing and supporting increasing numbers of individuals with serious mental health issues. This webinar guides participants through an in-depth discussion and understanding of what mental health courts are and how and when they can be effective.
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Tuesday, March 31, 2020 1:00 p.m. EDT
This webinar will discuss adapting prevention interventions to better serve minority populations. This webinar will discuss the importance of assessing the conceptual and practical fit of interventions for minority populations, and how adaptation can improve an intervention’s fit.
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Tuesday, March 31, 2020 5:00 p.m. EDT
More than ever, mental health support is a necessary component of addressing the needs of students and ensuring school safety, as well as student success in all schools. This webinar will highlight the changes and additions made to this revision of the School Mental Health Toolkit.
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Tuesday, March 31, 2020 3:30 p.m. EDT
This webinar will focus on the unique needs of individuals who identify as a sexual minority to enhance services and promote more effective care.
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Wednesday, April 1, 2020 12:00 p.m. EDT
The stigma, shame, and trauma associated with substance use disorders–before and after a death–complicate the grief process for someone who has lost a loved one to an SUD-related death. This seminar will present three video case studies that examine how this complex interplay of emotions contribute to “disenfranchised “ grief–grief that is not openly acknowledged–and create a roadblock in the healing process. The presentation will include time for discussion and Q&A.
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Wednesday, April 1, 2020 12:00 p.m. EDT
This 3-hour webinar will review the Ethics Code for New York’s Office of Addiction Services and Supports Counselors. Topics include: definitions, principles, and problem areas. It will also cover professional responsibility and decision making. Confidentiality will also be addressed. This webinar series will be delivered in two segments (1.5 hours each).
Part 2 will take place Thursday, April 2, 2020 12:00 PM EDT.
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Wednesday, April 1, 2020 12:00 p.m. EDT
As health disparities continue to persist, the prevention field has an important role in the advancement of health equity. The session will help leaders identify practical strategies to act individually and collectively to address significant challenges and barriers for the achievement of optimal health and wellness.
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Wednesday, April 1, 2020 1:00 p.m. EDT
States are increasingly focused on disseminating Evidence-based Treatments (EBTs) for children with behavioral health concerns, but experience a variety of implementation, policy, and resource challenges. This webinar will describe Connecticut’s approach to successfully disseminating several outpatient and school-based EBTs over the past 12 years, including implementation strategies, outcomes, and lessons learned.
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Thursday, April 2, 2020 12:00 p.m. EDT
This webinar will provide an in-depth examination of the stigma women with substance use disorders (SUDs) who are pregnant and/or parenting encounter when seeking healthcare services. Strategies to reduce barriers related to stigmatizing attitudes and practices will be addressed.
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