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Home --> Publications --> E-Newsletters --> Archive --> August 2004

Conference on Advancing School-Based Mental Health

Don't forget to register for the Center for School Mental Health Assistance 9 th Annual Conference on Advancing School-Based Mental Health Programs in Dallas, Texas, October 7-9, 2004. CSMHA provides leadership and technical assistance to advance effective school-based mental health programs. This year's conference features several intensive training sessions and five specialty tracks (Advancing Advocacy and Building Infrastructure, Doing and Coordinating What Works in Schools, Enhancing Quality and Accountability, Promoting Diversity and Cultural Competency, and Mental Health/Education Integration).
http://csmha.umaryland.edu/annl_conf.html

Check out SAMHSA's call for nominations below to learn how you can get a free registration to this year's CSMHA conference!

SAMHSA Award Nominations Requested

Call for Nominations: SAMHSA Administrator School-Based Mental Health Awards 2004
The following two awards , based on the recent President's New Freedom Commission Report, will be made: (Please note: Nominations should be postmarked by September 1st):

• The 2004 SAMHSA Administrator's Award will be made for the nominee who best exemplifies Goal 4, Objective 2, of the Commission's report, "Improve and expand school mental health programs." This award will acknowledge the work of an outstanding school-based program that is transforming mental health programs in schools and which promotes mental health.
• The 2004 SAMHSA, Center for Mental Health Services Directors Award , will be made for the nominated school or school district that best exemplifies Goal 4, Objective 4.1, "Promote the mental health of young children." In the context of the award "young" shall mean school age.

The awardees will receive a free conference registration and stipend ($250) at the 9th Annual Conference on Advancing School-Based Mental Health Programs in Dallas, Texas this October 7-9, 2004 .

Send nominations to:

SAMHSA
Third Annual Recognition Award Committee, Attn: Michele Edwards
5600 Fishers Lane , Rm. 17C-05
Rockville , MD 20857

New resources and publications available on promoteprevent.org

Go to the Resources page of our website, to find recently added resources to 2 new sections:

• The Center Briefs page contains short publications drawn from peer-reviewed publications that address many mental health and violence prevention topics such as Preventing Bullying in the Schools and the Community , Risk and Resilience 101 , and Evaluation: Design and Approaches .
• The Program and Issue Resources page gives you links to selected resources including publications, online courses and events, and web-based tools. The page is organized in two categories - program functions (e.g. Sustainability , Parent and Family Involvement , and Social Marketing ) and issues (e.g. Gangs , Mental Health , Suicide Prevention ).

PALS Adds Social Skills Component to Community Service
Long Island Advocacy Center & EAC, Inc.
Nassau County, NY
YVPP Grantee

Is there credible scientific evidence that for each dollar spent on 'research-based' prevention or early intervention programs for youth, more than a dollar's worth of benefits will be generated?
A report from the Washington State Institute for Public Policy answers this question Over 40 programs were closely studied using two methods: 1) monetizing (assigning dollar values to) outcomes in such areas as education, teen pregnancy, criminal, and substance abuse and 2) estimating comparative benefits and costs. Investigators also make policy suggestions to encourage state and local investment in prevention and early intervention programs.

You may access a copy of this report at http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/rptfiles/04-07-3901.pdf.

15,000 children with psychiatric disorders were improperly incarcerated last year because no mental health services were available
The first nationwide survey of juvenile justice detention centers, conducted by the Democratic staff of the House Committee on Government Reform, found that juvenile detention facilities are frequently used to "warehouse" youth with mental disorders while awaiting treatment; 71 centers in 33 states reported they were holding mentally ill youngsters with no charges. At a Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs hearing mental health advocates, prison officials, and juvenile court judges recommended three solutions:

• More community mental health services financed, in part, by Medicaid.
• More cooperation between police officials and mental health agencies.
• More extensive insurance coverage.

The full report is available at:
http://www.house.gov/reform/min/pdfs_108_2/pdfs_inves/pdf_health
_mental_health_youth_incarceration_july_2004_rep.pdf

Students report they are more likely to miss school because they feel unsafe
The Center for Disease Control's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) recently published data from the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) indicating that while most violence-related behaviors decreased during 1991-2003, students increasingly were likely to miss school because they felt too unsafe to attend. In 2003, nearly one in 10 high school students reported being threatened or injured with a weapon on school property during the preceding 12 months. The full MMWR weekly report can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5329.pdf .

Teaching guide teaches high school students how to help a friend who is abusing drugs or alcohol
"Early Action Against Teen Drug Use: Teens as Communicators to Their Peers", a free teacher's guide created by The New York Times Newspaper in Education Programs, helps educators show students the risks of substance use and how they can help a friend who is drinking or using drugs. The guide contains seven lesson plans, relevant New York Times articles, student worksheets, activities, and resource information, all of which can be integrated across a school's curriculum. "Early Action Against Teen Drug Use: Teens as Communicators to Their Peers" can be accessed at http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/NIE/earlyaction/

We regularly add to a detailed listing of conferences and events occurring across the nation. Please visit http://www.promoteprevent.org/events/national_events.htm

If you are interested in learning of the latest grant opportunities, the Grant Opportunities page http://www.promoteprevent.org/resources/funding_resources/ is regularly updated with new announcements of available public and private grant competitions.