Butler County looks at new ways to bridge gaps in mental health care
SIM is “an intervention that provides an opportunity for communities to visualize how mental health, substance abuse, developmental disability, and criminal justice systems intersect in serving criminal justice-involved clients with mental illness and … Read more on Hamilton Journal News (subscription)

Volunteers spend Christmas helping others in St. Louis area
Some spent time at the St. Louis Crisis Nursery, which provides emergency intervention for troubled families. Others packed … Studdard says treatment she has received both in and outside of prison has helped her overcome her drug addiction. She now … Read more on STLtoday.com

Advocates choose Decatur County woman for award
Scalf says that during the past twelve years, Meyer's cases have included drug exposed infants, domestic violence, parents cooking meth, homeless families, extreme physical abuse and neglect and parents with untreated mental health issues. Advocates … Read more on NewsTalk 1010 WCSI

Fort Campbell civilian to retire on 'high note'
At 15, he cleaned the bricks from the deconstructed barracks on Indiana Avenue at a penny apiece. A year later, he … With a degree in sociology, Davila began working for the Army Substance Abuse Program as a drug and alcohol counselor. Gradually, he … Read more on The Fort Campbell Courier

The Promise and Perils of Brain Training
Seniors striving to stay sharp, parents looking for drug-free ways to help kids with learning disorders, brain injury patients, burn victims, business executives, and athletes are all turning to computer apps, games, and programs for a mental edge … Read more on WebMD

Court recognizes woman's efforts to reform
She paid the required 10 percent of a $ 5,000 bond and enrolled in outpatient drug treatment. She also moved out of state. Back in Lincoln County court to finally face the charge, McKeone discussed the terms of the plea agreement with Garza. She broke … Read more on North Platte Bulletin

Integrated health care a growing movement
It will offer primary health care and behavioral health services, including outpatient mental health services, community support, medication management, counseling and substance abuse treatment. It will also have an on-site pharmacy. “This step is … Read more on Lincoln Journal Star

Heroin addict admits posing as Easton vice cop
A heroin addict who robbed two college students by pretending to be an Easton vice officer was sentenced Tuesday to a Northampton County drug treatment program. Kenneth W. Olswfski, who has been in jail since his arrest this summer, will undergo … Read more on Allentown Morning Call

New program seeks to short-circuit addiction before it starts
The demand for beds in detox and inpatient-care facilities continues to vastly outstrip supply. Outpatient services remain stretched to the limit, and the relapse rates for opioids and heroin, the most virulent substances in the addiction pandemic … Read more on Martha’s Vineyard Times

Who's Really Fighting Legal Marijuana? Big Tobacco, Big Pharma and Big Booze
This year, the anti-amendment group, Drug Free Florida, spent millions on ads to get Floridians to believe medical marijuana was harmful even if it has repeatedly been proven to have many health benefits. It is ironic that the group ran ads implying … Read more on U.S. News & World Report

Mental health issues discussed at drug summit
The correlation between mental health issues and drug abuse was a key focus at the county's third annual Drug Abuse Summit, held Tuesday at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience in Jupiter. "Mental illnesses like depression, anxiety … Read more on Sun Sentinel

Seeking help: Egg Harbor Township facility offers another option for substance …
Of 23.2 million people needing treatment for drug or alcohol use in 2007, only 2.4 million received treatment at a hospital, drug or alcohol rehabilitation or mental health center, the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's … Read more on Press of Atlantic City

Hospital visits due to substance abuse up 63 per cent in Vancouver area
A recent study from Columbia University found that more than 70 per cent of people who have a chronic condition such as hypertension are getting appropriate treatment, while only ten per cent of people with chronic substance abuse problems receive … Read more on Vancouver Sun

Christie: The war on drugs has failed, treat NJ heroin addiction as an illness
To combat New Jersey's growing heroin and opioid crisis, Gov. Chris Christie says the state needs to embrace a dramatically different approach to substance abuse, but cautioned that he will not write a blank check to get it there. In his time as … Read more on NJ.com

N.J. heroin crisis: Senate, Assembly pass bills that would expand Narcan …
Both the state Assembly and Senate passed bills which would bolster mental health and addiction services for prison inmates, create a report card ranking substance abuse treatment centers for the public and extend immunity to emergency responders and … Read more on NJ.com

Difficulties making diagnoses only add to challenges
There are people who try to take advantage of the subjectivity of pain and the fact it can't be proven by faking it to get prescriptions for narcotics, which they abuse or sell to other drug users. Conversely, doctors can be overly suspicious that … Read more on Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel

NJ Assembly Bill Package to Prevent Prescription Drug & Opioid Abuse Gains …
“This package includes evidence-based health care strategies aimed at both preventing addiction and targeting the myriad physical and emotional issues associated with recovery,” said Herb Conaway, M.D. (D-Burlington), chair of the Assembly Health and … Read more on Bergen Dispatch