As a policy analyst for the Substance Use Prevention project at Community Catalyst, Melissa Ough conducts research and analysis on health care policy. Melissa works with state consumer advocacy groups to expand the use of Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) to address substance use disorders among youth and young adults.
Melissa formerly worked at the Center for Social Innovation, where she brought best practices to the field through accessible and engaging training, and innovative online tools. She provided technical assistance to SAMHSA homeless programs grantees and HUD-VASH providers. She also instructed courses nationwide on numerous topics, including outreach and enrollment, Critical Time Intervention, and Mental Health First Aid.
Melissa was a research analyst and project manager for a National Institute of Mental Health study on the effectiveness of online learning for dissemination of evidence-based practices in community-based settings.
Melissa holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Gettysburg College and a Master's in Social Work from Boston University School of Social Work.
The Trump administration has pledged to address addiction nationwide. Now they're playing their hand and we're not impressed.
Here we are again. Another disastrous health care repeal bill is gaining momentum, threatening the progress we've made in treating substance use disorders.
President Trump launched his Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis leaving advocates feeling underwhelmed and concerned about the administration's approach to addiction.
Tucked in to last week's continuing resolution was startup funding for the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA).
As a result of strong consumer advocacy, Massachusetts is now the first state in the nation to take the sensible step of verbally screening all middle and high school students for drug and alcohol problems.
Curbing substance use among young people: Ask them. They want to talk.
It's encouraging to see the public attention and the resources directed at these problems, but we may be missing the mark when it comes to prevention.
Adolescent drug and alcohol abuse is a major public health issue that has been gaining national attention recently as more and more young people die from opioid overdoses. The prevalence of adolescent drug use is staggering.