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February 2023
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February is National Black History Month
February is National Black History Month
According to the Library of Congress, National Black History Month has its origins in 1915, when historian and author Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. This organization is now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH). Through this organization, Dr. Woodson initiated the first Negro History Week in February 1926. Dr. Woodson selected the week in February that included the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, two key figures in the history of Black Americans. Read more about the origins and timeline of commemoration for National Black History Month and access additional information and resources at blackhistorymonth.gov.
 
Featured Content
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Read Using the Gifts of History to Promote Wellness from the African American Behavioral Health Center of Excellence
Responding to the urgent need for greater equity and effectiveness in behavioral health services for African Americans, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) established the African American Behavioral Health Center of Excellence (AABH-COE) in October 2020.
The AABH-COE has shared their recently published article, Using the Gifts of History to Promote Wellness in honor of Black History Month and to spotlight the social determinants of health that have shaped the health and wellbeing of African Americans. (Read time: 5 min.)

 
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YOU'RE INVITED: Black History Month Panel Presentation Featuring 2023 Hall of Fame Recipients of The Museum of African American Addictions, Treatment, and Recovery
Join the Great Lakes ATTC and the 2023 Hall of Fame recipients of the Online Museum of African American Addictions, Treatment, and Recovery for a panel discussion about substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, culturally appropriate service delivery, and recovery in African American communities. The panelists will share their expertise and years of experience on these topics with an emphasis on defining recovery in African American communities, understanding culturally specific approaches to working with African Americans with SUDs, practicing effective cross-cultural counseling, and learning how the entire African American community can serve as a recovery community.
 
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BEAM: Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective
The BEAM collective offers culturally responsive mental health programs, trainings, and wellness tools specific to the needs of African Americans. Learn more about BEAM's mission and the many resources available on their website.
Related: Watch BEAM's "Black Healing Remixed" promotional video.
 
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By: Mark Sanders, LCSW, CADC and Kisha Freed
This article highlights ways counselors can use music therapeutically as a tool in substance use disorder treatment and recovery. Working one-on-one with your client using these techniques could make a difference in client outcomes. A next-level approach could involve hiring a music or experiential therapist to strengthen your program’s ability to incorporate music, art, movement, and other approaches to help clients seeking recovery.
Related: Read Part 1 and Part 2 in the Power of Music series.
 
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Seeking Qualified Applicants for the Prevention Core Competencies Pilot Training Series
This in-person pilot training will cover substance use prevention fundamentals for early career prevention professionals. The training provides an introduction to prevention science and a roadmap to further education and professional development. Apply now to join us March 13–15, 2023 in Bloomington, MN. Costs for airfare, hotel accommodations, and food will be reimbursed for accepted applicants. Please visit the event page for additional details and participant eligibility requirements.
***Application Deadline: February 15, 2023***
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SAMHSA Announces Funding Opportunities for Grants Addressing Substance Misuse, Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery among Pregnant, Postpartum Women
Press Release: Thursday, January 26, 2023
Read SAMHSA's full announcement to learn more about how these new funding opportunities seek to fulfill the Biden-Harris Administration's Blueprint for the Maternal Health Crisis.
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HealtheKnowledge: Self-paced Professional Development & Training
HealtheKnowledge offers hundreds of courses on topics related to substance use disorder, recovery, mental health, and prevention efforts. These self-paced courses are available online, anytime, anywhere! Join over 89,000 behavioral health professionals—take a HealtheKnowledge course today! 
 
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The ATTC Network's Pearls of Wisdom Series
View this month's Pearls of Wisdom blog post on the ATTC/NIATx Service Improvement Blog. This year-long series highlights the growth and impact of the ATTC Network over the past 30 years by featuring a Pearls of Wisdom blog post from a different regional center each month.
 
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DYK? Many of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC webinars are recorded and available after the live events on our websites' Products and Resources pages, along with presentation slides and other handouts.  All of our recorded webinars are also available for viewing on our YouTube Channel, The Great Lakes Current
 
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Thank you for reading The Great Lakes Current Newsletter!
 
We welcome your feedback and story ideas. 
What topics would you like The Great Lakes Current to cover in future issues? 

Photos: Send us a photo that showcases your state or organization, and we'll feature it in an upcoming issue of The Great Lakes Current

New Products or Resources: Send us a link to new content or resources that help support the substance use disorder, mental health, or prevention workforces—we'll feature this content an upcoming issue of The Great Lakes Current!

Contact: Kristina Spannbauer, The Great Lakes Current editor: kmspannbauer@wisc.edu 
 
The Great Lakes ATTCMHTTC, and  PTTC are funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to support the behavioral health prevention, treatment, and recovery services workforce in Health and Human Services Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI. The three programs are managed by the  Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

The Great Lakes Current is a monthly e-newsletter published by the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC. © 2021 Great Lakes ATTC, Great Lakes MHTTC, and Great Lakes PTTC.
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