Recent News

For National Rural Health Day, SAMHSA celebrates the unique strengths of rural communities. SAMHSA empowers rural resilience by providing resources and tools that address behavioral health; supporting rural communities' ability to mitigate, adapt, and recover from stressors; promoting behavioral health equity; and building and retaining a diverse, robust, and resilient behavioral health workforce.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced the launch of the Behavioral Health Workforce Career Navigator, designed to help current and aspiring behavioral health professionals identify state requirements for a range of behavioral health careers. This tool is designed for […]

Invitation to Participate The Mountain Plains Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC), funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is conducting a survey to help identify and prioritize training and technical assistance (TTA) topics, strategies, delivery methods, and resource development for HHS Region 8 (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming).  […]

To our community partners, we are reaching out to share a youth participatory action project for Indigenous youth, which will inform the development of a youth-created event, designed by and for Indigenous youth. Throughout the fall, The YouthScan Project (a program of YouthRoots) in partnership with SAMHSA Region 8 & 9, will be facilitating virtual […]

The staff at the University of North Dakota and University of Nevada, Reno are excited to share that SAMHSA has renewed funding for the Mountain Plains ATTC for an additional five years! Starting September 30th, this new grant cycle will enable us to further strengthen the specialized behavioral health and primary care workforce, ensuring high-quality […]

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced $240 million in awards to launch and expand mental health and substance use disorder services in more than 400 community health centers across the country that care for more than 10 million people. Health centers […]

August 31 marks International Overdose Awareness Day, the world’s largest annual campaign to end overdose. This year’s 2024 theme is "Together we can”, highlighting the power of our community when we all stand together. SAMHSA mourns with the families and friends who have lost loved ones to overdose, and we renew our commitment to preventing […]

Celebrate National Recovery Month all through the month of September with the Mountain Plains ATTC! Learn more and find a national or local recovery event on our Recovery Month 2024 webpage.

This report provides key findings from the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) on substance use, mental health, and treatment among the noninstitutionalized U.S. population aged 12 or older. Estimates are presented by age group and by race/ethnicity for selected measures.

By recognizing and affirming the importance of Pride Month and using this time to reflect on how to better support LGBTQI+ people living with SUDs and other mental health disorders, everyone can contribute to increasing LGBTQI+ behavioral health equity and serving as effective allies to LGBTQI+ people in recovery. Reach out to your regional SAMHSA-funded […]

SAMHSA is now accepting nominations for the SAMHSA Trailblazers in Advancing Recovery (STAR) Awards. The STAR Awards honor leaders in recovery with lived experience of mental health and/or substance use conditions including youth and family members whose lives have also been affected. In addition, the STAR Awards recognize organizations for exceptional efforts to promote recovery […]

Mountain Plains ATTC is part of an Opioid Response Network (ORN) Addiction Workforce Interest Group. This group will be meeting to address factors contributing to the current workforce shortage. You can help us by responding to this 7 question inquiry to give us a snapshot of the current situation. We encourage you to pass the […]

The links below provide resources and publications for clinicians, researchers, and other health professionals related to the health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer/Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual (LGBTQIA+) individuals. These resources include information about training to help providers develop skills to deliver culturally-responsive and evidence-based treatment, recovery and prevention services for LGBTQIA+ populations dealing […]

Rimrock Foundation, Montana’s oldest nonprofit addiction treatment center, was featured in a CNN news article about the implementation of contingency management. Contingency management uses positive reinforcement as a behavioral treatment for stimulant addiction. People are rewarded with small-value gift cards or vouchers for submitting urine drug tests negative for stimulants. Decades of research show that […]

Dr. Ryan Flinn, Co-Director of the SAMHSA-funded Mountain Plains Addiction Technology Transfer Center, is serving as guest co-editor of a special issue of the Journal of Prevention and Health Promotion entitled “Harm Reduction Strategies to Address Substance Misuse and the Associated Challenges.” Proposals for articles are due July 31, 2024. The Journal of Prevention and […]

April is Alcohol Awareness Month, an opportunity to update your knowledge about alcohol use disorder (AUD) and the adverse impact of alcohol misuse on health and society. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), researchers estimate that each year there are more than 178,000 alcohol-related deaths, making alcohol a leading preventable […]

The Utah State Legislature passed Senate Bill 26, the Behavioral Health Workforce Amendments bill, on February 28. Among other things, the bill creates the Masters in Addiction Counseling license making Utah the 32nd state to create such a license. The Association Utah of Substance Abuse Professionals (AUSAP) board worked on this initiative for two years […]

Participate in National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week® (NDAFW) and help share facts about drugs, alcohol, and addiction in your community. NDAFW is an annual health observance that inspires dialogue about the science of drug use and addiction among youth. NDAFW provides an opportunity to bring together scientists, students, educators, healthcare providers, and community partners […]

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through its Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), finalized modifications to the Confidentiality of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) Patient Records regulations at 42 CFR part 2 (“Part 2”), which protect the privacy of patients’ SUD treatment records. Specifically, […]

The ATTC Network joins SAMHSA in recognizing February as Black History Month. Explore resources and events from the Network and through the month of February.   The ATTC Network is continually adding to its library of resources and training materials for Black American and People of Color communities. Visit the Building Health Equity and Inclusion […]

On Feb 1, 2024 the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) marked two years of its Overdose Prevention Strategy (Strategy) by announcing bold new actions to combat overdoses. These actions include finalizing a rule that will dramatically expand access to life-saving medications for opioid use disorder, announcing that certain grant funds may now […]

SAMHSA’s 20th Prevention Day (SPD) takes place on Monday, January 29, 2024, in conjunction with CADCA National Leadership Forum at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland. Join us for the largest annual national gathering dedicated to advancing the prevention of substance use and misuse. We’ll celebrate the 20th anniversary of […]

November is National Native American Heritage Month, a time to honor Native peoples for their cultures, traditions, and history.   Link to Article    

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is joining federal partner agencies in raising awareness of domestic violence (also known as intimate partner violence) throughout our nation. The Mountain Plains ATTC and SAMHSA are committed to addressing domestic violence prevention, treatment and recovery for survivors. RESOURCES: Rural Intimate Partner Violence Survivors and Substance […]