
Partners in Prevention
Quarterly Update
Elimination of DATA X Waiver to prescribe buprenorphine
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) recently announced the elimination of the requirement for prescribers to have a DATA 2000 (X) waiver to prescribe buprenorphine.
What does this mean for providers?
Effective immediately, all practitioners with a DEA registration that includes Schedule III authority can now prescribe medications for opioid use disorder as they would any other medication.
There are no medication-specific training requirements and no limits on the number of patients receiving prescriptions.
Spring 2023 Medication Take Back Day was a regional success!
CHOOSE YOU, the new Washington State DOH Vaping and Commercial Tobacco Campaign
In April 2023, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) launched the statewide vaping and commercial tobacco prevention campaign, Choose You, to educate youth about the risks of using vapes and spotlight the quitting resources available. The campaign was informed by direct input from youth across the state who evaluated prevention messaging and campaign concepts.
The campaign’s messaging describes a range of health impacts and other consequences caused by vaping and commercial tobacco use that youth find most compelling: vaping’s impact on mental health, hobbies and other extracurricular activities, relationships, physical health, and brain chemistry, as well as addiction and costs.
View the campaign content at https://socialpresskit.com/choose-you and password is ChooseYouWA
Hidden in Plain Sight events hosted in community with great success!
The Spokane Regional Health District hosted the Hidden In Plain Sight Events at four locations throughout Spokane County. The locations were Freeman High School, University High School, West Wood Middle School & ESD 101 Center. Other community partners included Target Zero, Partners In Prevention, End the Violence Coalition, & Safe Communities Partnership.
The Hidden in Plain Sight was offered to parents, caregivers, educators, school staff and other adults 21 years or older who work with youth. Participants walked through a mock teen bedroom and tried to identify 70+ items which can indicate problem or risky behaviors.
After walking through the teen room, Jennifer Dorsett the Hidden In Plain Sight facilitator presented topics on cannabis, vaping, sex trafficking & mental health. Local resources such as the Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council (GSSAC), NAMI Spokane, Kalispel Tribal Victims’ Advocates, Spokane County Library, YWCA, Sheriff’s Community Oriented Policing Effort (SCOPE) & Youth Reach VOA’s were also available for all participants at the four locations.
The event(s) were highly attended many community members expressed their interest in understanding and learning more about the trending products youth may have access to regarding cannabis & vaping. Thank you to Jennifer Dorsett for bringing her knowledge and wisdom to our community, as well the event planning committee and all those who shared their resources. The collaboration of prevention efforts is vital in helping our communities to spread awareness on substance misuse and youth access.
Safe Medication Return's new website and toll-free number
Washington’s two approved drug take-back program operators, MED-Project and Inmar, recently launched:
- A new website: https://medtakebackwashington.org/
- A new toll-free number: 844-482-5322 (844-4-TAKE-BACK)
This website and toll-free phone number provide information for locating all safe medication return drop-off locations and ordering free mail-back supplies and educational materials.
Safe Medication Return's new website and toll-free number
SAMHSA Launches New Screening Tool: Screen4Success
Substance Use Prevention Messaging Guide for Providers and New Cannabis Resource Center
CDC MMWR Release – Adverse Childhood Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Associations with Poor Mental Health and Suicidal Behaviors Among High School Students — Adolescent Behaviors and Experiences Survey, United States, January–June 2021
The prevalence of poor current mental health and past-year suicide attempts among adolescents reporting four or more ACEs during the COVID-19 pandemic were four and 25 times as high as those without ACEs, respectively. Exposure to specific ACE types (e.g., emotional abuse) were associated with higher prevalence of poor mental health and suicidal behaviors.
Primary prevention and intervention strategies for ACEs and their acute and long-term impacts, including early identification and trauma-informed mental health service and support provision, could help address the U.S. child and adolescent mental health and suicide crisis.
The National Center for Youth with Diverse Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity & Expression (The National SOGIE Center)
The National SOGIE Center provides a centralized site for accessing resources on providing culturally responsive care to children, youth, and young adults with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression (SOGIE) and their families across systems, including child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health (including school mental health), substance use systems, and housing and homelessness.
The SOGIE Center provides training, technical assistance, and implementation support for creating culturally responsive systems for children, youth, and families with diverse SOGIE. The SOGIE Center has also developed, implemented, evaluated, and refined several evidence-informed interventions and programs for LGBTQ+ youth and their families that can now be replicated. Learn more.
Stanford Medicine's Smart Talk: Cannabis Prevention & Awareness Curriculum
The Smart Talk: Cannabis Prevention & Awareness Curriculum is a free 5-lesson theory-based and evidence-informed curriculum created by the Stanford REACH Lab. It includes 5 lessons, each providing activities, online quiz games, and worksheets in addition to presentations, resources, and other materials aimed at addressing key factors associated with youth cannabis use, including changing adolescents’ attitudes towards and misperceptions about cannabis; increasing their refusal skills to pulls of marketing and social media; reducing stress and depression which have been linked to cannabis initiation and use; improving coping skills; and decreasing intentions and actual use of all cannabis products. The curriculum is meant to reach all youth, including those at highest risk of cannabis use, racial/ethnic minorities, students in continuation and alternative schools, and those identifying as LGBTQ+.