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1991.10.01 :  Substance Abuse Training Center

Contact:  Dennis Wynne  (301) 443-5276 
October 1, 1991

       HHS Secretary Louis W. Sullivan, M.D., today announced 
establishment of a National Volunteer Training Center for
Substance Abuse Prevention under a $2.9 million contract awarded
to the Super Teams Operating Company of Sayville, N.Y.  
       The center will train volunteers from around the country
in effective anti-drug abuse strategies, conveying the very
latest information to them about drug abuse prevention methods.  
       Headquarters for the Volunteer Training Center will be in
Washington, D.C., with five training sites to be designated in
each of the l0 HHS regions to bring the training to the
grassroots level.
       "Approximately 80 million Americans are active
volunteers," 
Dr. Sullivan said.  "Through the work of this new center, many of
them can now be given the know-how to become successful
volunteers in drug abuse prevention programs.  Only with the help
of volunteer citizens who understand the complex interplay of
biological, social, and emotional factors in the etiology of
substance abuse can we have the hope of ultimately eliminating
every vestige of this epidemic from our land." 
       The Volunteer Training Center will not only provide
prevention skills and knowledge to some l,800 to 2,000 individual
volunteers  in the first year,  but also will prepare managers
for community prevention programs. 
       "This is America's first national volunteer training
center, representing a new initiative in our nation's efforts to
fight illegal drugs," said Dr. Herbert Kleber, deputy director
for demand reduction at the Office of National Drug Control
Policy.  He added, "Trained volunteers are crucial to achieving
our nation's anti-drug goals.  There are many Americans who want
to be involved in the drug war, but don't know how to help.  This
center can provide them with the necessary training and
information to help them overcome drug use in their communities."
       "The insidious nature of substance abuse requires that
communities become alarmed by the threat of this problem,
recognize the need for change, and mobilize their own resources
to rectify the situation," said Elaine Johnson, Ph.D., director
of the Office for Substance Abuse Prevention, which is funding
the project. "The new training center will help provide the
skilled volunteers to make it possible for communities to do so.
It also will give prevention training to parents and to members
of the religious community, to ensure that the volunteer effort
against substance abuse will endure beyond federal
participation," she said. 

       The contract awarded to Super (States United by
Prevention, Education, and Resources) Teams Operating Company has
options for two additional years, for a total federal investment
of approximately $9 million to establish a fully operational
volunteer training network across the country. 

       The center will offer 60 different prevention courses of
one to 10 days duration in the first year, 120 in the second year
and 150 in the third year.

       Super Teams was selected in a competitive contracting
process to develop and initially manage the National Volunteer
Training Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. It currently
operates the Northeast Regional Center for Drug-Free Schools and
Communities, a regional training center funded by the U. S.
Department of Education.

     The Office for Substance Abuse Prevention is a component of
the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration in the
HHS Public Health Service.

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