SAMHSA launches Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center to equip clinicians, strengthen communities

Thursday, April 5, 2018

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has launched an Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center (Resource Center) that aims to provide communities, clinicians, policy-makers and others in the field with the information and tools they need to incorporate evidence-based practices into their communities or clinical settings.

The Resource Center, at www.samhsa.gov/ebp-resource-center, contains a collection of science-based resources, including Treatment Improvement Protocols, toolkits, resource guides, and clinical practice guidelines, for a broad range of audiences.

“SAMHSA is committed to improving prevention, treatment, and recovery support services for mental and substance use disorders,” said Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use Dr. Elinore F. McCance-Katz. “Science and the evidence base continue to expand and change. Our vision for the Resource Center is to be dynamic and to respond to changing science and evidence, in order to deliver the most relevant and proven resources to Americans.”

As a result, SAMHSA plans to develop and to disseminate additional resources, such as new or updated Treatment Improvement Protocols, guidance documents, clinical practice policies, toolkits, and other actionable materials that incorporate the latest scientific evidence on mental health and substance use.

The Resource Center is part of SAMHSA’s new comprehensive approach to identifying and disseminating clinically sound and scientifically based policies, practices, and programs. This approach enables SAMHSA to more quickly develop and disseminate expert consensus on the latest prevention, treatment, and recovery science; collaborate with experts in the field to rapidly translate science into action; and provide communities and practitioners with tools to facilitate comprehensive needs assessment, match interventions to those needs, support implementation, and evaluate and incorporate continuous quality improvement into their prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts.

“This new strategy, coupled with new regional and local technical assistance efforts, will help to ensure that communities and practitioners are equipped to bring about the improvements in mental health and substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery our Nation requires,” said Christopher Jones, PharmD, MPH, the Director of the Policy Laboratory. “At SAMHSA, we are committed to taking the necessary steps to improve the behavioral health of all Americans, and pursuing evidence-based practices is a cornerstone of this endeavor.”

The Resource Center website was designed with an easy to use, point-and-click system to enable users to quickly identify the most relevant resources for their particular needs. Users can search by topic area, resource type (e.g., Toolkit, Treatment Improvement Protocol, Guideline), target population (e.g., youth or adult) and target audience (e.g., resource for clinicians, prevention professionals, patients and policymakers). Recognizing the enormity of the opioid epidemic, SAMHSA has included an opioid-specific resources section.

For more information about the Resource Center, call SAMHSA 240-276-2000.

For more information, contact the SAMHSA Press Office at 240-276-2130.