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L-R: Subcommittee Chairman Mike Dewine, Dr. Sandra
Brown, and Dr. Roger Weissberg. |
On June 15, two APA Fellows, Sandra A. Brown and
Roger P. Weissberg, testified before the Subcommittee on Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services of the Senate Health, Education,
Labor, and Pensions Committee at a hearing entitled "Providing
Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Services to
Adolescents". Science and Public Interest Policy staff worked
with both the majority and minority subcommittee staff to secure
these testimony slots for a planned May 18th hearing only to have
the hearing postponed at the last minute. With a very tight
legislative calendar this summer, we were pessimistic that the
hearing would be rescheduled. But thankfully, both Senators DeWine
and Kennedy recognized the importance of this issue and made room
for it in the halls of the Senate. The hearing Charter provides some
useful context:
"Providing services to adolescent populations
is particularly difficult. Despite efforts in the field, much
remains to be learned about the types and mix of services that are
most effective with different adolescent populations. In the
treatment arena, for example, the National Household Survey on Drug
Use and Health shows that, in 2002, 2.3 million youth aged 12-17
(9.1% of that age group) needed treatment, yet only 187,000 (8%)
received services. From this hearing we can learn more specifically
what the state of the art in adolescent prevention and treatment
actually is; the important gaps in our knowledge; the particular
challenges and difficulties faced by government, providers,
communities and families; and what we might do to assist or
facilitate in developing a broader, more effective system focusing
on adolescents' needs."
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Dr. Sandra Brown testifies about recent research on
adolescent substance abuse and interventions.
Dr. Sandra Brown shakes hands with Senator Dewine.
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Both witnesses provided compelling and eloquent
testimony, and members of the subcommittee were clearly engaged
as evidenced by an active question and answer period. When asked
to comment on the testimony, Subcommittee Chairman Senator Mike
DeWine said, "The information provided by Drs. Brown and
Weissberg will be extremely helpful to our work. They were able
to summarize the relevant research and point to ways in which we
can help get that research used in communities all across the
country. That's what we should be doing." APA is extremely
grateful to Dr. Brown and Dr. Weissberg both for their
understanding when the original hearing date was postponed and
for the willingness to participate as advocates for their
respective areas of research. We are also extremely grateful to
the subcommittee staff and to Senators Dewine and Kennedy for
their interest in, and attention to, the relevant psychological
research that informs issues under their Subcommittee's
jurisdiction.
 Read
Dr. Brown's testimony
Read
Dr. Weissberg's testimony
Read
the testimony of other witnesses at the hearing
Back
to SPIN June 2004
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