News Release

HHS Announces $17.5 Million for New Mexico Brief Interventions to Deal with People at Risk of Dependence on Alcohol or Drugs

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced a $17.5 million award to New Mexico to fund early intervention services in hospitals and other general medical and community settings to reach people at risk of dependence on alcohol or drugs.  New Mexico is expected to receive $3,500,000 per year for five years.

This cooperative agreement is designed to expand the continuum of care available to include screening, brief interventions, referrals and brief treatment.  The community and medical settings, such as schools and health clinics, will have the capacity to refer dependent persons to more intense specialized substance abuse treatment services, when needed. 

"This grant will make it easier for local professionals in New Mexico to offer a helping hand to those who engage in risky behavior involving alcohol and drugs," Secretary Thompson said.  "Left unchecked, these behaviors can lead to deeper dependency that makes recovery more difficult." 

John Walters, Director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, noted: “Prevention is a critical part of our balanced strategy.  Investments in prevention yield long-lasting payoffs in people’s lives and communities.  We also know that early intervention is critical.  Today’s announcement is in keeping with a new focus on encouraging people around young people to help them stop drug use before it becomes a problem.”

The award by HHS’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will be renewable by the state for up to five years, depending on outcomes and availability of funding. 

“This award will allow community health centers, school-based health clinics and student assistance programs, occupational health clinics, hospitals, and emergency departments to conduct brief interventions that can reorient many people away from behavior, that unchecked can lead to addiction,” SAMHSA Administrator Charles G. Curie said.  “SAMHSA is helping states add brief interventions to their spectrum of care, so that substance abuse treatment is addressed before the patient needs residential care or intensive outpatient care, to overcome addictions to alcohol and drugs.”

New Mexico's Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment Cooperative Agreement project will provide substance abuse services through primary health clinics.  It targets rural and ethnic-minority, non-addicted populations to increase access to behavioral health services.

New Mexico will implement the program in three of its five health regions, based on rural and ethnic-minority populations, prevalence, need, capacity, and the ability to implement the comprehensive project rapidly (within four months). In each community, the primary health care clinics will establish networks and lead the development of clinical "pre-treatment" protocols to create several screening sites in generalist sites, and to refer higher need clients to long term and intensive treatment services in specialty treatment providers.

The major strategies include motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy for the brief encounters, and sequenced assessments that precede referrals for needed addiction treatment.  Adolescents and adults are the selected target populations. 

SAMHSA is a public health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  The agency is responsible for accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the nation’s substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment and mental health service delivery systems.

 

This page was last updated on 27 October, 2003
SAMHSA is An Agency of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services