Recent News

New Report from CDC Sounds the Alarm on Opioid Overdoses Drug overdose deaths increase while disparities grow A newly issued report by the Centers for Disease Control reveals troubling new trends: in the past year, drug overdose deaths have increased while disparities among different population groups have widened. For example, overdose death rates (number of […]

Addressing the opioid crisis in our region is more critical than ever In the face of the ongoing opioid crisis, the Northwest MHTTC is proud to be a sponsor of the 2022 Region 10 Opioid Summit, August 3-4, 2022, hosted by SAMHSA, the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare, the State of Alaska Department of Health […]

Interconnecting Mental Health and Behavioral Support Improves School Safety, Study Says Research affirms that access to interconnected resources will further improve school climate, student equity READ MORE IN THE FULL ARTICLE HERE Citation: National Institute of Justice, "Interconnecting Mental Health and Behavioral Support Improves School Safety, Study Says ," March 21, 2022, nij.ojp.gov: https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/interconnecting-mental-health-and-behavioral-support-improves-school-safety Want more […]

2022 Region 10 HRSA Health Equity Conference in Tacoma, WA-- REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!   Brought to you by HRSA's Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs (IEA) – Region 10, in collaboration with the Asian Pacific Islander Coalition Advocating Together for Health, International Community Health Services, Northwest Center for Public Health Practice, Northwest Portland Area Indian […]

From the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency: Each year on June 20, the world celebrates World Refugee Day. This year, the focus will be on the right to seek safety. Every person on this planet has a right to seek safety – whoever they are, wherever they come from and whenever they are forced to […]

  All 3 Region 10 TTCs (Mental Health, Addiction, Prevention) will be presenting at a roundtable event on the following topic: SAMHSA’s Technology Transfer Center Networks: A National & Regional Approach to Workforce Development & Implementation Support for Equitable Evidence-Based Prevention and Treatment Directors from the 3 TTCs and our SAMHSA Regional Administrator will present.  […]

On March 25, Dr. Eric Bruns of the University of Washington SMART Center and the Northwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center traveled to Poland with several colleagues from the United States to train students, volunteers, and schools on practical mental health responses for Ukrainian Refugees.  According to Dr. Sharon Hoover, Co-Director, National Center for School […]

  The Northwest MHTTC is excited to be co-sponsoring this incredible event,  finally back in person in our home city! We look forward to seeing anyone who is traveling here--will be a fantastic conference!   "BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH HOUSING FIRST - HEALTH, WELLNESS AND INCLUSION" Presented by DESC and Pathways Housing First Pre-Conference: April 11, […]

A recently published article, "Applying implementation science in mental health services: Technical assistance cases from the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) network," in the journal General Hospital Psychiatry highlights the technical assistance provided by the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) network.  Access the full article.   Abstract: Objective: Critical gaps exist between implementation of effective interventions […]

HHS Announces Nearly $35 Million To Strengthen Mental Health Support for Children and Young Adults The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced nearly $35 million in funding opportunities in March 2022 to strengthen and expand community mental health services and suicide prevention programs for America’s children and young adults.  As part of […]

On March 1, 2022, United States President Joe Biden outlined an agenda to address the national mental health crisis. The plan seeks to strengthen system capacity, connect people to care, and create a continuum of support. This includes addressing the shortage of behavioral health providers, diversifying those who provide care, and incentivize practice in areas […]

During FY 2021, the 10 MHTTC Regional Centers conducted a needs assessment survey of key stakeholders, mental health organizations and practitioners, and others in their regions. Questions focused on technical assistance and training needs, telehealth services, and culturally responsive care specific to Hispanic and Latino and American Indian and Alaska Native populations (based on the […]

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report in February 2022 on children's mental health between 2013-2019. During this period, the most prevalent disorders diagnosed among U.S. children and adolescents aged 3–17 years were attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and anxiety, each affecting approximately one in 11 (9.4%–9.8%) children. Data from the report confirms that mental disorders among […]

Mental Health America (MHA), with support from Lundbeck, released a first-of-its-kind dashboard that geographically maps the results of 2.6 million mental health screenings taken through the MHA Online Screening Program in 2020 and 2021. The dashboard provides a view of at-risk rates of suicidal ideation, severe depression, PTSD, trauma, and psychosis for every state and […]

The American Medical Association (AMA) and Manatt Health released a toolkit in February 2022 intended to guide states on removing barriers to evidence-based patient care to combat drug overdose deaths.   Stakeholders can use this resource with legislators, regulators, and other officials to pursue policies that are working to help patients. States have taken myriad approaches to […]

This national, virtual conference will offer a wide variety of topics related to early psychosis care designed for the full mental health care team. Conference themes include: technology, adaptations, and innovations in early psychosis care; administrative considerations (e.g., financing, fidelity, and workforce development); the voice of lived experience and peer specialists; and diversity, equity, and inclusion. […]

Northwest MHTTC will present at the 32nd annual Washington Behavioral Healthcare Conference. The accepted proposal is "Resilience, Training Best Practices, Equity, Workforce Support." The conference, held on June 15-17, 2022, brings together a diverse group of presenters to share information about therapeutic interventions, recovery supports, promising programs, and policies that advance best practices. Learn more about […]

Across the country longstanding challenges in meeting demands for mental health services now are being exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile rising suicide rates and the opioid crisis are also cause for great concern. The 2021 Compendium of Ready to Respond: Mental Health Beyond Crisis and COVID-19, offers mental health system leaders a coordinated set of […]

Northwest MHTTC is proud to release its Year 3 Review, a summary of its activities from 2020-2021. You can also access the School Mental Health Review, as well as the 2021 Provider Well-Being Review.

The US Surgeon General issued a new Surgeon General's Advisory to highlight the urgent need to address the nation's youth mental health crisis. The advisory calls for a swift and coordinated response to the unprecedented impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the mental health challenges that existed before the pandemic. It includes recommendations […]

SAMHSA released its 2021 report "Behavioral Health Equity: Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators Measured from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 2015–2019".  This report represents a cross-section of key behavioral health indicators, so as to provide a concise, reader-friendly summary of key behavioral health measures. You may download the full report from SAMHSA's […]

Patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) benefit from early intervention services. A new report in AJP in Advance suggests that one such intervention, known as OPUS, is as effective (and in some cases superior) in real-world clinical practice as compared to use of OPUS in clinical trials. This finding is based on five-year outcome data, made up of two […]

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released findings in October 2021 from the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The report indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affected people's mental health, including exacerbated use of alcohol and drugs. The report is used for many purposes, including to guide leaders in […]

The United States Health and Human Services (HHS) department has released a new Overdose Prevention Strategy. The intention behind the new strategy is to increase access to care and services for individuals using substances that cause overdose, and for their families. "Our new strategy focuses on people -- putting the very individuals who have struggled […]