Wishing Everyone a Happy & Healthy New Year!
Edition 98 | January 7, 2021
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Welcome to the Barnstable County Regional Substance Use Council (RSAC)
E-Newsletter. This monthly newsletter is designed to provide information on substance use across the continuum of prevention, intervention, treatment,
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Upcoming Youth Substance Use Prevention Forums for Parents and Caregivers
Open to the public. Please see flyers below.
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7th Annual Community Substance Use Prevention Forum
A FREE 30 minute pre-recorded presentation by local experts followed by a 30 minute Q&A session and open to everyone. Topic: Critical Info on How to Talk to Your Kids About Substances.
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The Cape Cod Reopening Task Force -
Resources for Residents & Visitors, Businesses & Employees, Towns
The Cape Cod Reopening Task Force was created to develop collaborative strategies for reopening Cape Cod. The goal of the Task Force is to support economic recovery while protecting the health and safety of our residents and visitors. The Cape Cod Reopening Task Force is led by the Cape & Islands Legislative Delegation, the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce and Barnstable County, with participation from Cape Cod Healthcare, municipal officials, first responders, community leaders and others.
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Are you interested in starting your career path to become a Certified Addiction Recovery Coach?
Cape Cod Community College is hosting a (virtual) information session to explore our FREE Addiction Recovery Coach Pre-certification and Wellness Training Program. This program is grant-funded through the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. All costs; tuition, course fees, and books are covered by the grant.
The goal of this program is to start you on the process of becoming a Certified Addiction Recovery Coach in Massachusetts. Students will build foundational skills and practices with a focus on career coaching and navigation, mental health, addiction, whole health approaches and peer coaching, cultural competencies, recovery coach academy, ethical considerations, and personal finance and budgeting skills. Forty (40) hours of field work with a local employer is included in the program.
Application Process
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Helping Those Afflicted by Substance Use Disorder and Their Families
Parents Supporting Parents, Inc, is a non-profit corporation dedicated to advocating and educating families about the disease of substance use disorder while providing resources and peer support with compassion and hope for both the families and loved ones affected by the disease of substance use disorder.
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FREE Webinar: Substance Use Disorder Treatment in the Time of COVID
Mark your calendars for a webinar coming up on January 28, 2021, 2-3PM, Substance Use Disorder Treatment in the Time of COVID that may be of interest to clinicians working in the community that the Cape Cod and Islands Community Health Network encompasses.
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Recovery Coaching - With a Focus on Health and Wellness
What is Recovery Wellness Coaching? Click on button below for more information.
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LifeSkills Training and Free Materials for MA Schools |
The national LifeSkills Training website has added remote activities and projects for Life Skills Training (LST) trained instructors to use in grades 3-10. Many of them are available to LST instructors at no charge, and do not require additional training. As you know, the MA Department of Public Health continues to offer online Certification Trainings in this substance misuse prevention curriculum to schools that request the training, and meet our basic implementation criteria. The teacher trainings can be done at an instructors' own pace, over a preselected week. |
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The Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Substance Addiction Services has relaunched their #StateWithoutStigMA campaign with a new look, but same message: When we stop the stigma surround addiction, we support recovery. |
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Mark Your Calendars: You are invited to the VIRTUAL- Youth Substance Use and Co-Occurring Disorders (573) scheduled on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 |
This training examines the relationship between mental health disorders, trauma history, and substance use disorders in youth and young adults. We will review current data, trends, and complexities of these related developmental disorders and their implications for the recovery process. We will review past and current models of treatment for co-occurring disorders, highlighting integrated treatment. We will discuss the principles for treating co-occurring disorders and evidence-based practices for treatment. Peer support resources and the BSAS continuum of care for youth and young adults will also be reviewed. |
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New Website Launched to Help Parents Support their Children’s Mental Health |
Recognizing the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on children’s mental health, the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) joined forces with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) and the Department of Mental Health (DMH) to launch HandholdMA.org, a new family-friendly website for parents and guardians of school-aged children who are concerned about their child’s mental health. HandholdMA.org provides families with tips, tools, and resources designed to help them navigate their child’s mental health journey with confidence. The content, which is targeted to families with kids age 6-12 years, was developed by a team of mental health and child development experts as well as family and community partners. A creative team from IDEO Cambridge designed the user experience and branding. |
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Support After A Death by Overdose
SADOD provides resources, information, and assistance to people throughout Massachusetts who have been affected by the death of someone they care about from a substance-use-related cause. Our focus is on increasing the capacity and effectiveness of peer grief support for bereaved people, frontline care providers, and people in recovery or struggling with drug use.
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Gift Cards Totaling $50 Can Motivate Menthol Smokers and Vapers to Quit |
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Recovery in Special Emphasis Populations
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The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines special emphasis populations as “groups who face particular risks from drinking alcohol based on personal characteristics such as age or gender.” Underage youth, emerging adults (ages 18 to 28), older adults (age 65 and older), women, individuals experiencing co-occurring disorders, and ethnic and racial minorities are special emphasis populations highlighted by NIAAA. Additional special emphasis populations at heightened risk for AUD include sexual minorities, individuals with justice system involvement, homeless persons, and former foster care emerging adults. |
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Alcohol and Substance Use: Basics of Excessive Alcohol Use
Increased stress can lead to increases in alcohol and substance use. If you or someone you care about is starting to use alcohol or other substances, or is increasing their use during the COVID-19 pandemic, here are a few suggestions that may help:
- Contact your healthcare provider.
- Locate virtual treatment and recovery programs.
- Medication-assisted Treatment for alcohol or opioid use disorders may be an option.
- Take medicine as prescribed and continue your therapy, treatment, or support appointments (in person or through telehealth services) when possible.
- Call the National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Referral Routing Service (1-800-662-HELP) to speak with someone about an alcohol or substance use problem.
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Visit the CDC’s Alcohol and Substance Use during COVID website below for more information. |
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A Health Alert Network (HAN) Advisory
The Centers for Disease Control has released a Health Alert Network (HAN) Advisory to alert public health departments, healthcare professionals, first responders, harm reduction organizations, laboratories, and medical examiners and coroners to—
- Substantial increases in drug overdose deaths across the United States, primarily driven by rapid increases in overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids excluding methadone (hereafter referred to as synthetic opioids), likely illicitly manufactured fentanyl;
- A concerning acceleration of the increase in drug overdose deaths, with the largest increase recorded from March 2020 to May 2020,coinciding with the implementation of widespread mitigation measures for the COVID-19 pandemic;
- The changing geographic distribution of overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids, with the largest percentage increases occurring in states in the western United States;
- Significant increases in overdose deaths involving psychostimulants with abuse potential (hereafter referred to as psychostimulants) such as methamphetamine; and
- Recommendations for communities when responding to the evolving overdose crisis.
For additional information and recommendations visit the CDC’s website below.
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Resources to support youth mental health during COVID-19 |
Coronavirus (COVID-19) can affect adolescents directly and indirectly. Many adolescents’ social, emotional and mental well-being may be impacted by the pandemic. Trauma faced at this developmental stage may have long-term consequences across their lifespan. The CDC’s COVID-19 Parental Resource Kit: Ensuring Children and Young People’s Social, Emotional, and Mental Well-being can help support parents, caregivers, and other adults serving children and young people in recognizing children and young people’s social, emotional, and mental challenges and helping to ensure their well-being.
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Recommendations for the Overdose Epidemic in the COVID-19 Pandemic |
A new report from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health offers recommendations aimed at federal, state, and local policymakers to address the opioid epidemic during the pandemic, which has seen sharp increases in fatal and nonfatal overdoses. The recommendations detail policy solutions in the areas of data and surveillance, harm reduction, and treatment, with special considerations for vulnerable populations.
The report, Saving Lives from Overdose During a Pandemic, draws from peer-reviewed research on opioid overdoses, as well as recommendations from the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Applications Now Being Accepted for Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Building Communities of Recovery (Short Title: BCOR) |
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2021 Building Communities of Recovery (Short Title: BCOR). The purpose of this program is to mobilize resources within, and outside of, the recovery community to increase the prevalence and quality of long-term recovery support from substance abuse and addiction. These grants are intended to support the development, enhancement, expansion, and delivery of, recovery support services (RSS) as well as promotion of, and education about recovery. Programs will be principally governed by people in recovery from substance abuse and addiction who reflect the community being served. |
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Treatment for Suicidal Ideation, Self-Harm, and Suicide Attempts Among Youth |
A priority topic for SAMHSA is ensuring the availability of effective treatment for youth with suicidal ideation or who have attempted suicide or engaged in self-harm. This guide reviews the related literature and science, examines emerging and best practices, identifies gaps in knowledge, and discusses challenges and strategies for implementation. |
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Barnstable County COVID-19 Recovery Resources |
COVID-19 can be difficult for all of us but especially for those in recovery. This might be exacerbated by people unable to attend their normal support group meetings or other recovery supports. Please click on button below to find local and nationwide resources related to substance use disorder and mental health. You can also call the MA Substance Use Helpline anytime at 800-327-5050. |
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Cape Cod Substance Use Resource Guide |
Asking for help is the first important step.
Alcohol and other drug problems are treatable disorders. If you want to talk with a knowledgeable Information and Referral Specialist now,
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Transgender Social Support Group |
Group is open to trans, non-binary, questioning, or other gender diverse identified people ages 18+. You do not need to be a Fenway Health patient to join, and the group is free to attend.
Group via Zoom (5:30-7:00 pm) meets on the first and third Wednesday of the month. Contact Ann at aburke@fenwayhealth.org
for more information and Zoom link.
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HUMAN SERVICE DEPARTMENT INITIATIVES |
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HUMAN SERVICES PUBLICATIONS-DATA |
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SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER |
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NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS / GUIDELINES |
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Submissions will only be accepted using our online submission form. Submission buttons are located at the bottom of every newsletter and on the homepage of our website.
Please submit your news by clicking hand image on left.
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- Content Policy - Attachments must be in .PDF FORMAT ONLY please.
- We are prioritizing timely information on the ever-changing landscape of health and human services events and opportunities.
- Due to the increasing number of submissions to the newsletter, the Department reserves the right to limit the number of times a submission is published.
- Posting of articles submitted for publication in the Barnstable County Department of Human Services E-Newsletter is at the discretion of the Department. To request this newsletter in alternate formats, please call 508-375-6628.
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