This evidence-based guide, created by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, or SAMHSA, reviews intervention strategies for individuals living with substance use and mental disorders who are also at risk for HIV. The goal is to provide the community with resources to prevent substance misuse and help those with a substance use disorder as well as mental illnesses. This guide includes research findings and literature related to this issue, examines new and emerging best practices, and identifies what challenges may lie ahead for implementation. The interventions outlined in this guide follow the goals of the federal “Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America” initiative.
In 2019, the United States saw a record high of 71,000 fatal drug overdoses, which have been steadily increasing in 2020. Children have been identified as being at risk for physical and emotional harm as a result of illegal drug use, according to the National Alliance for Drug Endangered Children (National DEC). Law enforcement (LE) can play a role in mitigating the harm children experience. Since LE officers return to the same household for drug related calls, this provides an opportunity for LE officers to take note of the children in the home, and assess whether they are at risk. Many LE organizations are involved with multidisciplinary initiatives that help to detect and intervene in a safe way when the child is at risk. An example of this includes a National DEC practice called Handle with Care (HWC), which allows police officers to recognize trauma and direct children to the necessary resources. This is important because it ensures the safety of children while allowing family to receive the proper treatment for opioid use disorders.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have released the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Data Summary and Trends Report, which provides a detailed look into sexual behavior, high-risk substance use, experience of violence, mental health and suicide. This report examines 24 variables and covers three new health behaviors: recent prescription opioid misuse, STD testing, and HIV testing. Data on health behaviors and experiences of sexual minority youth from 2015, 2017 and 2019 are included. This survey is important because it allows for examination of the need to protect the health and wellbeing of students in the United States, from mental health to sexual education.
The Drug-Free Communities (DFC) is the nation’s leading effort to help prevent and reduce substance abuse among youth. The DFC program’s day to day management are conducted by the CDC under an agreement with the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP). The DFC program began in 1997 and provides grants to community coalitions to help strengthen infrastructure among local partners, which allows for a reduction in local youth substance use. Multiple sectors of the community are engaged, which helps to address the local substance use problems in the community, while helping youths understand that the majority of the Nation’s youth choose not to use substances. This in turn encourages this population to seek out resources and treatment in order to help them lower their substance use.
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