Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly articles from February 2005

Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly archives from February 2005

Attitudinal barriers pose greatest obstacle to methadone treatment programs in jails.
February 7, 2005... Correctional facilities need to focus on staff attitudes and knowledge about methadone, according to a recent study which found that older and more educated security staff and medical staff can lead the way in helping methadone maintenance...

SAMHSA brings integrated treatment to provider level with release of TIP 42.(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
February 7, 2005... The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) took a major step forward last week in bringing integrated treatment for co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders to the ground level with the release of a...

Security of health information--the latest HIPAA deadline.(From The Field ...)(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996)(Editorial)
February 7, 2005... Editor's Note: This column is the first in a series by Paul Litwak on how providers and other health organizations can prepare for the HIPAA Security Rule that goes into effect in April. April 21, 2005 is the deadline for compliance with...

McLean Hospital.(Names in the News)(Esther Dechant, M.D. appointed as medical director )(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass. has named Esther Dechant, M.D. as medical director of the Klarman Eating Disorders Center, established in 2003 to provide state-of-the-art treatment for eating disorders in girls and young...

The Providence Center.(Names In The News)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... The Providence Center, a community-based outpatient behavioral health organization, announces the following appointments: Deborah O'Brien, R.N. has been named chief program officer. In this role, O'Brien will oversee all of the center's...

Johnson Institute launches faith-based journal.(Resources)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... The Rush Center at the Johnson Institute announces the launch of its new quarterly publication, Faith Partners Journal. Johnny Allem, president of the Johnson Institute, calls the journal "another resource for the faith community to respond and...

Kit targets youth drug prevention.(Resources)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... A new resource from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) entitled, Essential Prevention Partners: Community and Faith-Based Organizations, is a kit created to help organizations incorporate drug prevention...

Resource guide supports mental health practitioners.(Resources)(National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice )(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... The National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice (NCMHJJ) has developed a comprehensive resource guide entitled, Screening and Assessing Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Among Youth in the Juvenile Justice System: A Resource...

S.D. legislators reject medical marijuana bill.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... South Dakota lawmakers rejected Bill HB1109, sponsored by Rep. Gerald Lange (D.-Madison), that would have legalized the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes in South Dakota, the Associated Press reported. "There are certain debilitating...

States consider restricting cold medicines.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Citing an "overwhelming linkage" between drugs and crime, Iowa's Attorney General Tom Miller has requested an additional $14 million for drug treatment and prevention programs, the Associated Press reported. He has also asked the state...

Percentage of U.S. persons aged 16 to 20 who reported driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and/or illicit drugs in the past year. 2002 and 2003 data combined.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Percentage of U.S. persons aged 16 to 20 who reported driving a vehicle under the influence of alcohol and/or illicit drugs in the past year, 2002 and 2003 data combined. Pecentage Either alcohol or...

DWI history linked to plane crashes.(Briefly Noted)(Driving while intoxicated)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... The results of a study published in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention suggest that general aviation pilots with a history of driving while intoxicated (DWI) are more prone to crash their planes than pilots with no such history. A...

NIH employees subject to stricter ethics rules.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has announced new ethics regulations that focus on the outside activities, financial holdings and awards for all of its employees. In particular, NIH is addressing concerns regarding outside consulting...

Student drinkers report boredom in school.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... According to the results of a recent Gallup survey reported in the New York Times, 63 percent of student drinkers claimed they were bored in school, compared to 45 percent of non-drinkers. Only 19 percent of the drinkers said they were happy in...

Coming up ...(Brief Article)(Calendar)
February 7, 2005... The World Research Group sponsors the Performance Measurement for Behavioral Healthcare conference, "Improving Data Collection Methods, Benchmarking Quality Standards, and Measuring Behavioral Health Outcomes," Feb. 23-25 in Scottsdale, Ariz....

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief Article)
February 7, 2005... Adolescence is more dangerous than we once believed, the Press Association Limited reports. According to the pediatric scientist who led recently publicized research, the region of the brain that inhibits risky behavior is not fully developed...

President's fiscal 2006 budget would eliminate school-based prevention program.
February 14, 2005... President Bush released his proposed fiscal 2006 budget last week, and for the addiction field, it contained a shocker: zero-funding of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities State Grants program. The program was funded at $441 million...

Field supports legislation to lift patient limit for buprenorphine.(Drug Addiction Treatment Expansion Act)
February 14, 2005... Leaders in the addiction field are hopeful that legislation to end the current restriction on the number of opioid-dependent patients that doctors and entities can treat with buprenorphine will pass this year. Under the current law, the...

HIPAA security requires organizational commitment.(From The Field ...)
February 14, 2005... Editor's Note: This is the second column in a series by Paul Litwak on how providers and other health organizations can prepare for the HIPAA Security Rule that goes into effect in April. I've been fortunate to have the opportunity to work...

Stephanie O'Malley, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and director of the Division of Substance Abuse Research at Yale University School of Medicine, has been awarded the Dan Anderson Research Award.(Names in the News)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... Stephanie O'Malley, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and director of the Division of Substance Abuse Research at Yale University School of Medicine, has been awarded the Dan Anderson Research Award. The award, which honors distinguished work in...

New outlet for alcohol ad critics.(Resources)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... Television viewers who take offense at liquor or beer company advertising can now file their complaints online and free of charge through the Marin Institute's "Talk Back Service." Filling out a web form at www.marininstitute.org will generate...

Private prisons see rising profits.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... As federal and state prison populations continue to grow, investors who foresaw the privatization of the sector are profiting from growing share prices in companies that control this market, The Dallas Morning News reports. The Nashville,...

University group tackles drinking.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... An alcohol task force established at Colorado State University (CSU) is considering alcohol issues on campus, including whether to offer college credit for alcohol education courses, the Associated Press reported. The 27-member group, composed...

Calif. judge dismisses alcohol class-action suit.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... A Los Angeles Superior Court judge dismissed a class-action lawsuit accusing Anheuser-Busch Companies and Miller Brewing Company of encouraging underage drinking, the Los Angeles Times reports. The "Goodwin Case," named for the husband and wife...

Novel vaccine could treat PCP addiction.(Briefly Noted)(Phencyclidine)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... The National Institute on Drug Addiction (NIDA) reports that more than 400,000 individuals addicted to methamphetamine and PCP (phencyclindine) in the U.S. are seeking treatment help. A $3 million NIDA grant to InfleXion Therapeutics, LLC will...

Health providers underestimate adolescent substance abuse.(Briefly Noted)(Illustration)
February 14, 2005... Health providers underestimate adolescent substance abuse Substance use Providers' impression vs. Clinical diagnoses classification None 59% 50% Minimal 36% ...

Stadium concessionaire responsible for alcohol sales.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... A company that sells beer in Giants Stadium is being held accountable for severe injuries incurred by a mother and her daughter after a fan left a game highly intoxicated and crashed his truck into their car, according to the Pacific Institute...

Pregnant drug users held accountable.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... Three new cases of methamphetamine use by pregnant or nursing women have raised legal questions about the accountability of drug-addicted mothers. The Associated Press reports that three women in Oregon are currently facing decades in prison on...

Wis. prisons to expand addiction treatment.(Briefly Noted)(Wisconsin )(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... Wisconsin is looking at a new approach to dealing with its burgeoning prison population, with an eye toward addiction treatment programs as an alternative to incarceration. According to the Wisconsin State Journal, Gov. Jim Doyle's 200507...

Coming up ...(Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse and its Juvenile Justice Associations)(National Commission on Correctional Health Care and Academy of Correctional Health Professionals )(Brief Article)(Calendar)
February 14, 2005... The Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse and its Juvenile Justice Associations sponsor the 2005 Adolescent Treatment Issues Conference Feb. 28-March 1 in Tampa, Fla. For more information, visit www.fadaa.org. Kathleen Sciacca will hold a...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief Article)
February 14, 2005... Cigarette smoking poses greater health risks for women.While smoking knocks three years off the average male smoker's life, it shaves 11 from a woman's life, according to Dutch government research. ABC News reported that a rise in lung cancer...

Advocates encouraged by re-introduction of bill to prevent underage drinking: legislation calls for coordinated approach, funding.
February 21, 2005... Legislation to coordinate all federal programs and research initiatives on underage drinking and to fund a national media campaign to prevent the problem was re-introduced by the House of Representatives and the Senate last week. Advocacy...

ONDCP director questioned on cuts at first committee budget hearing.(Office of National Drug Control Policy budget questioned by John Walters)
February 21, 2005... While field leaders gathered last week to reach consensus on fiscal 2006 budget advocacy strategies, the first committee hearing on Capitol Hill to address President Bush's proposed fiscal 2006 budget had legislators asking tough questions on...

Study: certain alcohol ads may influence adolescent drinking: project Alert may act as a mitigating influence.
February 21, 2005... Certain types of alcohol advertising may lead adolescents to begin drinking or increase their use of alcohol, according to a RAND Corporation study released this month. Researchers from RAND Health found that adolescents who more...

Controlling access a key requirement of HIPAA Security Rule.(From The Field ...)(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996)
February 21, 2005... Editor's Note: This is the third column in a four-part series by Paul Litwak on how providers and other health care organizations can prepare for the HIPAA Security Rule that goes into effect in April. User identities and passwords A...

Caron Foundation.(Names in the News)(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... Natalie Connor, Maralyn Lakin and Shelly Landau have joined the marketing committee of the board of directors at the Caron Foundation. Connor is the vice president/director of sales for WXTU/WPTP. Lakin is the senior vice president of...

Netsmart announces agreement with N.Y. methadone program.(Business Notes)(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... The Beth Israel Medical Center's Methadone Maintenance Treatment Program has awarded a $450,000 contract to Netsmart Technologies, whose wholly owned subsidiary, Creative Socio-Medics Corp. supplies enterprise-wide software for health and human...

Purdue Pharma favored in OxyContin suit.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... A former employee of Purdue Pharma Inc., maker of the painkiller OxyContin, failed to recover damages in her recent lawsuit, in which she alleged that she lost her job due to her refusal to encourage doctors to prescribe high doses of the drug....

Arkansas committee rejects increased penalty for pregnant users.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... A bill that would have increased penalties against women who use drugs while pregnant was voted down last week in an Arkansas House Judiciary Committee vote. The bill, put forward by Arkansas Rep. Tim Hutchinson (R.-Lowell), would have raised...

Cellular research findings may aid treatment.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... Researchers supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) have published a study in the journal Cell that could have important implications for the treatment of drug addiction. Researchers discovered that cells called glia, which are...

CHP confiscates medical marijuana.(Briefly Noted)(California Highway Patrol)(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... In a recent press release, Americans for Safe Access, a national coalition of patients, doctors and advocates for medical marijuana, announced it will file a lawsuit against the California Highway Patrol (CHP) and California Gov. Arnold...

Past-year alcohol use status PF U.S. adults with alcohol dependence diagnoses prior to the past year.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
February 21, 2005... Past-year alcohol use status PF U.S. adults with alcohol dependence diagnoses prior to the past year (N=4,422) STILL DEPENDENT 25.0% PARTIAL REMISSION 27.3% ASYMPTOMATIC RISK DRINKER 11.8% LOW-RISK...

Bill would mandate drug tests for new drivers.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... Statistics consistently indicate that new drivers are responsible for a disproportionate number of highway accidents, and in the state of Illinois, a handful of pending bills would add new restrictions in the name of safety. The St. Louis...

Study revises explanation for use of multiple drugs.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... It has been widely suggested that the use of marijuana leads to the use of other substances. However, two related studies funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) posit that the concurrent use of marijuana and other drugs of abuse...

Coming up ...(Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association and its Juvenile Justice Associations)(The Center for the Study of Health, Religion and Spirituality )(Pain Management Solutions and the Realization Center )(Calendar)
February 21, 2005... The Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association and its Juvenile Justice Associations sponsor the 2005 Adolescent Treatment Issues Conference, Feb. 28-March 1 in Tampa, Fla. For more information, visit www.fadaa.org. The Center for the...

In case you haven't heard ...(Brief Article)
February 21, 2005... When it comes to weight gain from drinking alcohol, drinking patterns may be more important than the total amount of alcohol consumed. In a recent National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) study, an analysis of data from over...

National addiction groups announce groundbreaking collaboration: initiative jointly addresses certification, education and public policy.
February 28, 2005... The senior leadership of addiction and certification professionals last week announced a formal collaboration to begin to jointly address addiction professional certification, education and public policy related issues. NAADAC, The...

How can states provide treatment to youth? Using Medicaid's EPSDT program to offer much needed AOD services to young people.(Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment)
February 28, 2005... When looking for ways to provide substance abuse treatment for Medicaid-eligible young people, one route is the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) program. Under EPSDT, federal Medicaid regulations calls for states to...

HIPAA requires limiting physical access to information.(From The Field ...)
February 28, 2005... Editor's Note: This is the fourth and last column in a series by Paul Litwak on how providers and other health care organizations can prepare for the HIPAA Security Rule that goes into effect in April. Physical security When people...

New SAMHSA report reveals state estimates of substance use: Alaska ranks highest in illicit drug use.(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
February 28, 2005... A new report on state estimates of substance use released this month by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) found that Utah has the lowest rate of past month use of illicit drugs in the nation, as well as the...

Neurologix, Inc.(Names in the News)(Eric J. Nestler and Daniel H. Lowenstein have joined Neurologix, Inc)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... Eric J. Nestler, M.D., Ph.D., and Daniel H. Lowenstein, M.D., Ph.D., have joined the Scientific Advisory Board at Neurologix, Inc., a development-stage company engaged in the research and development of proprietary treatments for disorders of...

Hythium, Inc. has entered into a licensing and services agreement to offer its HANDS[TM] Protocols to The Mount Vernon Hospital, a non-profit, 228-bed hospital in New York's Westchester County.(Business Notes)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... Hythium, Inc. has entered into a licensing and services agreement to offer its HANDS[TM] Protocols to The Mount Vernon Hospital, a non-profit, 228-bed hospital in New York's Westchester County. According to a Hythium press release, the...

Conn. revives medical marijuana bill.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... Connecticut lawmakers are breathing new life into a bill to legalize the growth and use of marijuana by the seriously ill, reports the Associated Press. The bill's chief proponent, Rep. Penny Bacchiochi (R.-Somers), who twenty years ago risked...

Web resources address alcohol abuse.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... Researchers have found that web-based resources might be effective in helping individuals to diagnose their alcohol abuse, and begin to address harmful behaviors. A study reported in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research...

Genetics could influence alcohol tolerance.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... While it is commonly understood that alcohol consumption impairs the ability of brain cells to communicate with one another, scientists have recently come to a new understanding of the mechanism behind this disruption. Researchers at the David...

Montana considers drug czar post.(Briefly Noted)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... House Bill 31, sponsored by Rep. Don Roberts (R.-Billings), would effectively create a new cabinet-level post in Montana, a drug czar appointed by the governor. The Billings Gazette reports that supporters of the bill cite a need to pull...

Bill calls for tougher fight against meth.(Briefly Noted)(Arrest Methamphetamine Act of 2005)(Brief Article)
February 28, 2005... New legislation put forward by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D.-WA) encourages the federal government to broaden its contributions to the fight against the methamphetamine "epidemic." According to the Associated Press, the "Arrest Methamphetamine Act of...

Coming up ...(Brief Article)(Calendar)
February 28, 2005... U.S. Journal Training, Inc. presents its 3rd Las Vegas Conference on Adolescents March 30-April 1 in Las Vegas, Nev. For more information visit www.usjt.com. Youth Crime Watch of America will hold its National Youth Crime Prevention...

In case you haven't heard ...
February 28, 2005... Forget fame. It's muscle that men desire. Apparently, women aren't the only ones who scrutinize what they see in the mirror. The results of a recent study suggest that American and European men want, and believe that women prefer, a physique...