Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

CMHS Consumer Affairs E-News
September 13, 2006, Vol. 07-139

SAMHSA Awards .75 Million to the State of South Dakota to Improve Service Delivery for Co-Occurring Disorders

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today announced the award of $550,000 each year over five years, subject to availability of appropriations, to enable the state of South Dakota to increase its ability to provide accessible, effective, integrated treatment services to people with co-occurring substance abuse and mental disorders, and their families.

"This award can help South Dakota establish the system of care that can make recovery from co-occurring disorders a reality for those in need," said SAMHSA Administrator Terry L. Cline, Ph.D. "Co-occurring substance abuse and mental disorders should be the expectation, not the exception. If both conditions are not recognized and treated, recovery can be jeopardized."

Data from SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that in 2006, 5.6 million adults had both serious psychological distress and a substance use disorder. About half received no treatment for either problem. Only 8.4 percent received treatment for both mental health and substance abuse.

SAMHSA is awarding the grant to the state of South Dakota Office of the Governor. The $550,000 annual award for five years will assist in narrowing the gaps in services for individuals with co-occurring disorders. The state of South Dakota will create a sustained statewide infrastructure to implement quality training procedures on screening and assessment measures. The infrastructure will address issues of staffing competency, licensure, and credentialing; service coordination and network building; financial planning; information sharing; and barrier reduction. South Dakota is dedicated to five core strategies:

• establishment of a well-informed and coordinated state-level infrastructure;
• development of a clear and concrete action plan with regional and local input;
• development of a plan for the integrated screening process and identification of screening instruments and assessment protocols;
• development of a quality improvement process to monitor outcomes of the screening process; and
• development and implementation of a system-wide training curriculum.

SAMHSA Awards .75 Million to the State of Delaware to Improve Service Delivery for Co-Occurring Disorders

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) today announced the award of $550,000 each year over five years, subject to the availability of appropriations, to enable the state of Delaware to increase its ability to provide accessible, effective, comprehensive, integrated treatment services to people with co-occurring substance abuse and mental disorders, and their families.

"This award can help Delaware establish the system of care that can make recovery from co-occurring disorders a reality for those in need," said SAMHSA Administrator Terry Cline, Ph.D. "Co-occurring substance abuse and mental disorders should be the expectation, not the exception. If both conditions are not recognized and treated, recovery can be jeopardized."

Data from SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health showed that in 2006, 5.6 million adults had both serious psychological distress and a substance abuse disorder. About half received no treatment for either problem. Only 8.4 percent received treatment for both mental health and substance abuse.

SAMHSA is awarding the grant to the state of Delaware. The $550,000 annual award for five years will assist in narrowing the gaps in services for individuals with co-occurring disorders. The state of Delaware will: 1) integrate mental health and substance abuse treatment through the development of a state-level infrastructure that will provide an organizational framework for planning and implementing integrated services and 2) pilot enhancement activities that will inform the development of a comprehensive, integrated approach to serving persons with co-occurring disorders throughout Delaware. Infrastructure goals proposed are:

• statewide screening for co-occurring disorders across four systems;
• training and credentialing of professionals;
• implementation of evidence-based practices (integrated dual diagnosis treatment) in four pilot sites; and
• evaluation of services.

For more information, visit www.samhsa.gov.

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The Center for Mental Health Services is a component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, United States Department of Health and Human Services.