Substance Abuse News and Research

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NIH announces 11 awards to improve public health outcomes related to substance use, addiction

More than $11 million over three years will be used to support research exploring the use of social media to advance the scientific understanding, prevention, and treatment of substance use and addiction.

20 Oct 2014

Study: More interventions needed for people with severe mental illnesses in criminal justice system

Responding to the large number of people with serious mental illnesses in the criminal justice system will require more than mental health services, according to a new report.

16 Oct 2014

State highlights: Supreme Court to hear N.C. scope-of-practice case; states weigh costs of new hepatitis C drugs

The Supreme Court on Tuesday will consider who can whiten teeth in North Carolina, a seemingly small decision that could have major implications for scope-of-practice throughout the country. In North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners v. Federal Trade Commission, the justices will weigh whether the state dental board's decisions -; in this case, a decision to not allow anyone but a dentist to whiten teeth -; are immune from antitrust protections typically granted to state agencies (Haberkorn, 10/13).

15 Oct 2014

HIV-infected users of stimulants derive benefits from antiretroviral therapy

New clinical research from UC San Francisco shows that 341 HIV-infected men who reported using stimulants such as methamphetamine or cocaine derived life-saving benefits from being on antiretroviral therapy that were comparable to those of HIV-infected men who do not use stimulants.

13 Oct 2014

Intensive parenting and education provided in homes reduces drug use in pregnant teens

Intensive parenting and health education provided in homes of pregnant American Indian teens reduced the mothers' illegal drug use, depression and behavior problems, and set their young children on track to meet behavioral and emotional milestones they may have otherwise missed.

13 Oct 2014

RAND study: Specific state guidance can influence patient access to effective heroin treatment

State policies can influence the number of physicians licensed to prescribe buprenorphine, a drug that can treat addiction to heroin and other opioids in outpatient settings, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

8 Oct 2014

Suicide prevention: an interview with Dr Shekhar Saxena, World Health Organization

Suicide is a serious public health problem. More than 800,000 people die from suicide every year – that’s one person every 40 seconds.

5 Oct 2014

Adolescents with strong working memory better equipped to escape problematic drug use

Adolescents with strong working memory are better equipped to escape early drug experimentation without progressing into substance abuse issues, says a University of Oregon researcher.

3 Oct 2014

ProMedica and Harbor team up to address growing community need for mental health services

Today ProMedica and Harbor announced plans to form a joint operating company (JOC) to address a growing community need for mental health services in northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan.

30 Sep 2014

Survey: More than 70% of young cancer specialists across Europe show signs of burnout

Across Europe, more than 70% of young cancer specialists are showing signs of burnout, the largest survey of its kind has revealed. The results, reported at the Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO 2014) in Madrid, have prompted calls for serious action to address the issue at all levels.

26 Sep 2014

State highlights: Calif. readies new checks on foster kid psych meds; Kan. employment support for those with mental illness

In a significant step toward curbing the overuse of psychiatric drugs in California's foster care system, doctors will soon be required to get extra authorization to prescribe antipsychotics, a new safeguard to protect some of the state's most overmedicated children. Beginning Oct. 1, a state pharmacist must verify the "medical necessity" of each antipsychotic prescription before the medications can be given to children who are 17 and younger and covered by Medi-Cal, the state's health program for the poor that also includes foster children (De Sa, 9/18).

22 Sep 2014

State highlights: Los Angeles' new mental health program; N.C. considers Medicaid expansion; N.Y. nurses push for more staff

The $756,000 initiative marks one of the county's most significant attempts to find a better way to treat people who have mental illness and wind up in the criminal justice system by offering them transitional housing, medical treatment and job-hunting help. Officials say the pilot program will start in Van Nuys and initially help 50 people at a time, but it is expected to spread throughout the county and could accommodate up to 1,000 people at once (Gerber, 9/17).

19 Sep 2014

Providence Service to acquire CCHN Group Holdings

The Providence Service Corporation, a leader in the management and provision of human social services, innovative global employment services and non-emergency transportation through a variety of government-sponsored programs, announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire CCHN Group Holdings, Inc. ("Matrix Medical Network" or "Matrix"), a Scottsdale, Arizona provider of in-home health assessment and care management services and a portfolio company of Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe XI, L.P. ("Welsh Carson").

18 Sep 2014

State highlights: N.Y. sues drugmaker over Alzheimer's drug switch; Ariz. Republican resigns over Medicaid remarks

New York State's attorney general filed an antitrust lawsuit on Monday seeking to stop a pharmaceutical company from forcing patients with Alzheimer's disease to switch to a new version of a widely used drug. The lawsuit contends that the switch is designed to blunt competition from low-priced generic versions of the medication (Pollack, 9/15).

17 Sep 2014

Intimate partner violence may trigger irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia

One in five men in the U.S. reports violence towards their spouse or significant other, says a new nationally-representative study by the University of Michigan.

16 Sep 2014

Milken Institute SPH to hold Latino Health Disparities Conference on September 25, 2014

Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at the George Washington University will hold a conference on September 25 to highlight the disproportionate health challenges faced by many Latino communities and families--with a focus on possible solutions.

16 Sep 2014

Early intervention prevents aggressive children from becoming violent, criminal adults

Aggressive children are less likely to become violent criminals or psychiatrically troubled adults if they receive early intervention, says a new study based on more than two decades of research.

16 Sep 2014

State highlights: Scrutiny on for-profit surgery centers after Joan Rivers' death; Kaiser agrees to $4 million fine

A selection of health policy stories from New York, California, the District of Columbia, North Carolina and Georgia.

11 Sep 2014

American men have worse access to reproductive and sexual health care, shows research

Compared with women, American men have worse access to reproductive and sexual health care, research shows, a disparity fueled in part by the lack of standard clinical guidelines on the types and timing of exams, tests and treatments that should be offered to all men of reproductive age.

10 Sep 2014

Most prevalent form of discrimination is due to mental illness and homelessness

Vulnerable populations in ethnically diverse Toronto reported more discrimination by health care workers based on their housing status, mental health or substance abuse issues than race, a new study has found.

9 Sep 2014

Substance Abuse News and Research

NIH announces 11 awards to improve public health outcomes related to substance use, addiction

Study: More interventions needed for people with severe mental illnesses in criminal justice system

State highlights: Supreme Court to hear N.C. scope-of-practice case; states weigh costs of new hepatitis C drugs

HIV-infected users of stimulants derive benefits from antiretroviral therapy

Intensive parenting and education provided in homes reduces drug use in pregnant teens

RAND study: Specific state guidance can influence patient access to effective heroin treatment

Suicide prevention: an interview with Dr Shekhar Saxena, World Health Organization

Adolescents with strong working memory better equipped to escape problematic drug use

ProMedica and Harbor team up to address growing community need for mental health services

Survey: More than 70% of young cancer specialists across Europe show signs of burnout

State highlights: Calif. readies new checks on foster kid psych meds; Kan. employment support for those with mental illness

State highlights: Los Angeles' new mental health program; N.C. considers Medicaid expansion; N.Y. nurses push for more staff

Providence Service to acquire CCHN Group Holdings

State highlights: N.Y. sues drugmaker over Alzheimer's drug switch; Ariz. Republican resigns over Medicaid remarks

Intimate partner violence may trigger irritable bowel syndrome, insomnia

Milken Institute SPH to hold Latino Health Disparities Conference on September 25, 2014

Early intervention prevents aggressive children from becoming violent, criminal adults

State highlights: Scrutiny on for-profit surgery centers after Joan Rivers' death; Kaiser agrees to $4 million fine

American men have worse access to reproductive and sexual health care, shows research

Most prevalent form of discrimination is due to mental illness and homelessness

Leveraging the power of automation to boost research

Automating research - solutions and best practices

How can microdialysis benefit drug development

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