Announcements

National Impaired Driving Prevention Month is observed every December to educate the public about the risks of driving impaired and encourage drivers to make responsible choices on the road. Impaired driving is often discussed in relation to alcohol but includes operating a vehicle under the influence of any harmful substance, including cannabis, opioids, and other drugs.

Every day in America, there are about 800 injuries and 29 fatalities from alcohol impaired driving crashes… read more

As in past years, in early 2024, the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (DBHR) will request Community Prevention and Wellness Initiative (CPWI) and community-based organization (CBO) contractors to review their expenditures to help ensure obligated funding is expended by upcoming state and federal fund source end dates. 

This review will provide the opportunity for unneeded funding to be identified and reallocated. Prevention managers will share more information in the… read more

The Washington State Department of Health (DOH) launched a new health resource for teens and young adults on its website.

Teen Health Hub WA, or "the Hub," was created in partnership with Washington teens and young adults, including members of DOH’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC). The Hub features a curated online directory of youth-friendly information and resources on behavioral health, primary care, navigating the health care system, sexual and reproductive health, and teen dating… read more

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is seeking ideas from youth, 14-18 years old, on a community strategy to increase youth awareness, education, and prevention around the dangers of fentanyl.

Youth: What is the best way you make your friends aware of these risks and keep them safe?

Your idea could include any innovative ways to reach your peers on this topic like social media posts, vlogs, podcasts, and/or video.

The top six ideas… read more

As an all-volunteer board, the Prevention Specialist Certification Board of Washington (PSCBW) strives to do its work as efficiently and timely as possible. However, during the month of December, response time will be delayed. Several directors of the board will not be available for certification and board work, including responding to email inquiries, review and approval of any PSCBW prevention certification applications, and other board related business. Thank you for your understanding.… read more

The 2024 National Prevention Network Conference (NPN) will be held August 13-15, 2024 at the Arizona Grand Resort in Phoenix, AZ! More information will be posted on the conference webpage soon!

We are nearing the next cycle of the Communities Talk!

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) will be sponsoring stipends for the next round of Communities Talk to Prevent Alcohol and Other Drug Misuse, an initiative that focuses on alcohol and other drug misuse that negatively affect communities and our youth. Since 2006, the initiative has provided prevention resources and stipends to thousands of community-based organizations, colleges, and… read more

Prevention Plus Wellness (PPW) is collaborating with WellScreen to bring PPW’s unique evidence-based “whole-health” brief substance use prevention interventions that promote healthy lifestyle behaviors and mental health onto WellScreen’s online technology for screening for alcohol, tobacco, and drug use, including opioid consumption.

WellScreen is based on the Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) protocol and uses evidence-based screeners like CRAFFT and… read more

What is involved? The Review Team reviews the previous year’s Overview and Nomination Packet documents during January and February, making suggestions on improvements, suggestions on how to market the awards to encourage more participation, and to make suggestions on how to simplify the nomination process. Any meetings are via Microsoft Teams. Award nominations are accepted during the April – August time frame; there are no Review Team meetings or duties during the nomination period. However… read more

This report has been submitted to SAMHSA. Public review period has concluded.

.Each year the Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery compiles and submits an Annual Synar Report (ASR) to the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

The report is currently available for public review. If you wish to submit a comment after reading the report, send your comments to: Ray.Horodowicz@hca.wa.gov. Please include the Section number and item… read more