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SAMHSA News Room
Contact Media Services: (240) 276-2130

SAMHSA News Bulletin

Date: 10/5/2009
Media Contact: SAMHSA Press
Telephone: 240-276-2130

SAMHSA Awards $11 Million for Programs Teaching Early Intervention Techniques to Use with Patients at Risk for Substance Abuse

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is awarding up to $11 million over the next five years for six cooperative agreements under the Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral and Treatment (SBIRT) Medical Residency Program. The primary purpose of these cooperative agreements is to develop and implement training programs that will teach medical residents how to provide evidence-based screening, brief intervention, brief treatment, or referral to specialty treatment, for patients who either have, or are at risk for, a substance use disorder.

Another purpose of the program is to promote adoption and wider dissemination of SBIRT and its related practices in local and statewide medical communities.  Studies have shown that by expanding the use of these programs to different medical treatment settings more patients with underlying substance abuse problems might be helped. 

“Nearly 95 percent of the people who have a diagnosable substance use disorder are unlikely to seek treatment, -- most often because they are unaware they have a problem,” said SAMHSA Acting Administrator Eric Broderick, D.D.S., M.P.H.  “This program empowers health care professionals to identify the signs of substance abuse and provide help to those in need in the most expeditious and effective manner possible.”

The six selected awardees are expected to be funded up to five years, but continuation awards are subject to the availability of funds and progress achieved by awardees. The grants announced today will be administered by SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.

Awards for the SBIRT Medical Residency Programs will be as follows:

Grantee Award
Amount per Year
The Regents of the University of California $374,911
The Corporation of Mercer University $374,906
Baylor College of Medicine $347,987
The Curators of the University of Missouri $374,569
Indiana University $373,717
University of Maryland $373,824

For more information on SAMHSA grants go to:http://www.samhsa.gov/Grants/.

SAMHSA is a public health agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. The agency is responsible for improving the accountability, capacity and effectiveness of the nation's substance abuse prevention, addictions treatment, and mental health services delivery system.


Page Last Updated: 10/5/2009