Written By: Rashetta Fairnot, Public Health Advisor, Consumer Affairs, CSAT
As Independence Day approaches, our nation reflects on its freedom and we look to honor the military service members and veterans who keep us safe. Since September 11, 2001, more than 2.3 million American military personnel have been deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, or both.  Although the vast majority of returning service members successfully transition back home, 18.5 percent of returning service members do meet criteria for either post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or depression. Unless treated, these types of behavioral health issues have …

Written By: Rashetta Fairnot, Public Health Advisor, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
On Wednesday, May 30, we hosted the May Recovery Month Twitter chat on the topic of “Partnerships and Collaboration: Recovery Services, Systems, and Support.” I was joined by co-hosts Paolo Del Vecchio, Acting Director from the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) and Cathy Nugent, Senior Public Health Analyst, CMHS for a robust conversation centered on recovery-oriented services and support for people in or seeking recovery. The chat also addressed how people in recovery and their families can work …

Written By: Rashetta Fairnot, Public Health Advisor, Consumer Affairs, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
Do you work with recovery-oriented support services or are you interested in learning more about SAMHSA’s Recovery Support Strategic Initiative (RSSI) and the Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistance Center Strategy (BRSS TACS) project? Join Recovery Month on May 30th from 1 – 2 p.m. EDT to share insights and experience for the Twitter conversation—“Partnerships and Collaboration: Recovery Services, Systems, and Support.”
RSSI, one of SAMHSA’s Eight Strategic Initiatives to reduce the impact of mental and substance …

Through SAMHSA’s Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistance Center Strategy, the Center for Social Innovation has announced awards of $25,000 each to eight peer-run/recovery community organizations.  These eight organizations will work within their states to increase public awareness about behavioral health services available through the Affordable Care Act.
Each site has an opportunity to innovate as a means of connecting with different organizations in their state and the general public.  Aside from focusing on the behavioral health services that are available through the ACA, organizations are to take an in-depth …