FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jennifer de Vallance (202) 395–6618
September 19th, 2002
WHITE HOUSE DRUG CZAR SUPPORTS
HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS' CALL FOR
SUBSTANCE ABUSE EDUCATION AND TRAINING
EARLY IDENTIFICATION AND INTERVENTION KEY TO
REDUCING SUBSTANCE ABUSE DENIAL GAP
(WASHINGTON, D.C.)—John P. Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy, joined the Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse (AMERSA) today to unveil a publication calling for increased training and licensing of health care professionals to identify, counsel, and refer patients and clients with substance abuse disorders.
The report, Strategic Plan for Interdisciplinary Faculty Development: Arming the Nation's Health Professional Workforce for a New Approach to Substance Use Disorders, was developed through a collaborative effort among more than 15 health professions, including physicians, dentists, therapists, pharmacists, and social workers, among others. The Strategic Plan makes 12 recommendations that would improve the ability of health care professionals to identify and treat individuals with substance abuse disorders.
Director Walters said, "The latest data indicate that of the six million Americans in need of treatment for drug dependencies, more than 4.6 million do not acknowledge that they have a problem. Health care professionals, properly trained to identify and treat substance abuse, are a critical tool in reducing this tragic denial gap."
Recent studies have shown that many health professionals are insufficiently trained to recognize substance abuse in their patients and intervene in an appropriate manner. Currently, only 56 percent of medical residency programs have a required curriculum in preventing or treating substance abuse. Drug use is an urgent public health issue directly tied to other public health epidemics such as the spread of Hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS, and the occurrence of child abuse and domestic violence.
"The recommendations made in this Strategic Plan can greatly enhance the ability of health professionals to screen and intervene in an individual's drug problem before it becomes a personal health tragedy or social epidemic," Walters said. "By continuing to work together to improve professional standards, we will reduce substance abuse and improve the health of the nation."
Copies of the Executive Summary to the Strategic Plan for Interdisciplinary Faculty Development: Arming the Nation's Health Professional Workforce for a New Approach to Substance Use Disorders are available to members of the press. Contact Doreen MacLane-Baeder at HRSA/ AMERSA, 401–785–8263 or doreen@amersa.org.
