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- Federal Resources
Federal Resources
Health Resources and Services Administration
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated or medically vulnerable.
Maternal and Child Health Library
The MCH Library is a virtual guide to MCH information. It offers a combination of MCH information compiled by library staff and pathways to the best MCH information available on other Web sites, from organizations, and in libraries.
Booklet Series: FASD Prevention
SAMHSA’s FASD Center for Excellence released an updated version of its How To Have a Healthy Baby booklet series. This series provides useful guidance to encourage women to remain alcohol-free during pregnancy. The three-booklet series provides tips for men and women who want to support a healthy pregnancy, and for providers who work with pregnant women. These resources are available in both English and Spanish.
Resource: 5 Resources to Support and Empower Teen Parent Slideshow
This slideshow highlights five campaigns and organizations that focus on the strengths and needs of young parents and provides links to additional resources on supporting parenting teens.
Resource: 1-2-3 Care: A Trauma-Sensitive Toolkit for Caregivers of Children
As described in this NCFY article, this toolkit teaches young parents how to interact with children who have had traumatic experiences and addresses important aspects of child development and parenting, such as attachment, teaching emotional regulation, and repairing mistakes.
Resource: Youth-Friendly Manual Shows New Fathers the Ropes
This NCFY article highlights a manual (PDF, 28 pages) that uses driving and car analogies and youth-friendly language to teach teen dads and expectant dads about topics such as establishing paternity, what to expect when the baby comes home, caring for the baby, and co-parenting.
Beyond Addiction: Understanding and Treating Substance Abuse in Young People
This report series from the National Clearinghouse on Families and Youth provides an overview on substance abuse in youth and young adults. Find information on how drug use can affect the teen brain, how the development of the teen brain makes young people susceptible to trying drugs, the benefits and things to be aware of when hiring youth workers in substance abuse recovery, and some best-known evidence-based practices for treating adolescent substance abuse.
Child Health USA
The Child Health USA Databook is an annual report of the health status, well-being and service needs of America's children and youth. Coalitions, program planners and policy makers can identify national trends by examining and comparing data from one year to the next. Indicators for youth, or adolescents, cover multiple issues, including childbearing, substance abuse, violence, mental health treatment, and mortality from traffic and firearms injuries. The section, Population Characteristics, provides information about poverty status and school dropouts. Each topic includes a written summary and at least one graph that clearly depicts key statistical facts.
Model Programs Guide
The Model Programs Guide (MPG) is designed to assist practitioners and communities in implementing evidence-based prevention and intervention programs that can make a difference in the lives of children and communities. The MPG database of evidence-based programs covers the entire continuum of youth services from prevention through sanctions to reentry. The MPG is a tool that offers a database of scientifically-proven programs that address a range of issues, including substance abuse, mental health, and education programs.
Podcast Series: A National Conversation on Protecting Our Youth
This series offers strategies to address underage drinking and reduce youth access to alcohol. Experts, parents, researchers, youth groups, law enforcement officers, and others also discuss the health and safety issues associated with youth alcohol use. Learn more.
The Northwestern Juvenile Project: Overview
This bulletin provides an overview of the Northwestern Juvenile Project, the first large-scale, prospective longitudinal study of drug, alcohol, and psychiatric disorders in a diverse sample of juvenile detainees.
Underage Drinking Training Center
(UDET) Center is to create healthier and safer environments in States, local communities, and Federal entities engage in environmental prevention and enforcement practices that proactively and effectively limit youth access to alcohol and significantly reduce harmful consequences associated with alcohol use by underage youth
Celebrating Minority Mental Health Month: Spotlight on Tribal Behavioral Health Needs
Minority Mental Health Month provided an opportunity to raise awareness of how mental health and substance use issues affect ethnic minority groups. This blog post, written by a SAMHSA intern and member of the Rosebud Sioux and Oglala Sioux Tribes, describes a personal journey with addiction and provides hope and encouragement to tribal youth, tribal leaders, scholars, and community members to seek help and promote recovery and healing.
SAMHSA's "Talk. They Hear You." Start the Talk Trailer
Start the Talk is the newest component of SAMHSA's "Talk. They Hear You." Underage Drinking Prevention National Media Campaign aimed to reduce underage drinking among youth ages 9 to 15. This online role-play tool gives parents and caregivers the opportunity to practice talking with their children about underage drinking, helping to build practical skills and confidence to conduct these conversations in real life.
You Make SAMHSA Rock!
In this blog post, SAMHSA's Pamela Hyde announces her resignation and recounts SAMHSA’s accomplishments and its federal partners during her tenure.
IOM Recommendations Reflect Importance of Improving Quality of Behavioral Health Services
As highlighted in a recent blog post by HHS officials, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a new report, “Psychosocial Interventions for Mental and Substance Use Disorders.” The report is a result of a collaboration to identify key steps to ensure individuals receiving mental health and substance use services receive evidence-based, high-quality care. It details the reasons for the gap between what is effective and what is currently practiced, and it offers recommendations for how best to address this gap. It proposes a framework to establish standards for psychosocial interventions. The HHS blog post addresses how SAMHSA, ASPE, and other HHS agencies will implement the recommendations in the report.
SAMHSA's "Talk. They Hear You." Father-Son Video PSA
This PSA for SAMHSA's "Talk. They Hear You." campaign encourages parents, particularly fathers, to start an open dialogue with their children at a young age about drinking.
Talking with College-Bound Young Adults About Alcohol
This resource provides parents with information that can help them talk to their college-bound children about alcohol-use consequences. It also includes a companion video that illustrates the academic and health consequences of underage drinking for new college freshmen.
2014 NSDUH Report on Mental and Substance Use Disorders
SAMHSA’s 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health report shows progress in reducing substance use, especially among adolescents. However, it also indicates that adolescents are experiencing higher levels of depression than in past years.
How We Talk about It Matters
This blog post describes the Resource Guide for Reporting on Behavioral Health: How You Talk About It Matters, which provides information to the media about mental illness and substance use disorders. It also includes tips and supporting facts that can help ensure representations of mental illness and substance use disorders are fair, balanced, and accurate.
Sports and Mental Health
This blog post describes the benefits of participating in sports, as well as the risks. It highlights many of the programs and resources available to support athletes who may be struggling with mental illness or substance abuse.
(Maryland) Don't Be a Friend. Be a Parent. (PSA)
This extended PSA for "Don't Be a Friend. Be A Parent." shows parents the negative consequences of hosting an underage drinking party.
SAMHSA's "Talk. They Hear You." Mom's Thoughts Video PSA
This PSA video for SAMHSA's "Talk. They Hear You." campaign encourages parents to start an open dialogue with their children at a young age about drinking.
Resource: SAMHSA eBooks
SAMHSA offers many of its resources in an eBook format, allowing readers to access these materials more easily on mobile devices, tablets, and e-readers.
Report: Monthly Variation in Substance Use Initiation Among Full-time College Students
This study tracked substance use initiation patterns by month for college students, ages 18-22. Results show that initiation of marijuana and alcohol use often peak in the summer months, while winter appears to be the peak season for students to start using prescription drugs.