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November 21, 1997
(Health)


New training for health providers in assessing substance addictions

Joan Marie Aylward, Minister of Health, announced today that the Addictions Services Division of the Department of Health will be offering training to provincial Community Health staff in the administration of a new assessment tool titled the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) in St. John's, November 24 and 25.

The SASSI is a new psychological screening measure which helps to identify youth and adults who have a high probability of having a substance dependence disorder, such as alcohol or other drug abuse and misuse, which is found to be the root cause of many emotional, medical, family, school and legal difficulties for individuals and society as a whole.

"The SASSI training program is timely in that it focuses on the issues and concerns raised during National Drug Awareness Week," said the minister. "We anticipate that clinicians will find SASSI useful in evaluating and understanding clients, such as impaired drivers, and in planning their treatment."

Health providers participating in the program include the Addictions Services staff, as well as some Mental Health Services staff, of the Department of Health and the six Regional Community Health Boards in the province.

"We are working together with all six Regional Community Health Boards to ensure that health providers in this province have access to the latest and most effective clinical assessment tools available to date," said the minister.

Newfoundland and Labrador will be joining the provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI, Manitoba and Saskatchewan in utilizing this innovative screening tool. Once the training is complete, a SASSI pilot project will be administered by health providers through the Regional Community Health Boards for a period of one year.

The SASSI Training will take place at the Hotel St. John's on November 24 and 25 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Contact Glenn Bruce, Director of Communications, (709) 729-1377.

1997 11 21 3:55 p.m.

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