For two days in April, CAADAC unleashed its assault on Washington, D.C. While some organi- zations send an army of grassroots advocates to lobby on Capitol Hill, CAADAC needed only two: the suave and knowledgeable Joe Aragon, and the forceful and resourceful Warren Daniels. In just two days, we were able to complete meetings with six congressional offices, three national organizations, and one federal agency. The major points on our agenda were the work- force (especially the recruitment of Latinos,) treatment in prisons, and the overall goals of CAADAC and CFAAP. Trips to Washington for a group such as CAADAC/CFAAP fulfill two purposes: create new relationships, and solidify old ones. Joe, Warren, and I did a little bit of both.
One of the new relationships we made, and hope to develop, is with the Hispanic Associa- tion of Colleges and Universities (HACU.) We met with Laura Maristany, HACU’s Federal Policy Director. Our goal in meeting with HACU was to establish a relationship, both in Washington and California, so that we had a network of universities to work with in order to expand the number of schools with a curriculum for the training of substance abuse counselors. There are over 70 HACU schools in California, including community colleges. HACU can also be a great partner in work- force recruitment, as they carefully track funding opportunities for workforce training in the Latino community. This is a top priority for CAADAC, as only 2-5% of our counselors are Latino, and the issue of cultural competencies in treatment cannot afford to be overlooked. HACU also invited us to partner with them when it comes to re-authorizing the Work- force Investment Act, which could provide the field with some excellent new opportunities. Their next annual conference will take place in San Diego in September, so CAADAC will have an opportunity to send a delegation.
Several new relationships were forged at Capitol Hill, perhaps the most important being with Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. Peggy Wilmoth, a Robert Wood Johnson Fellow on the Speaker’s legislative staff, expressed an interest in working with CAADAC on two sub- jects: Tobacco cessation, and drug abuse in the U.S. Military Reserves. She informed us that a staggering 34% of all military reserv- ists who are habitual smokers did not pick up the habit until they joined the service. She also expressed concern over the lack of a structured referral service for reservists who require care for substance abuse. As Ms. Wilmoth is a nurse, we also discussed the importance of training the nursing workforce in how to better handle the screening and treatment of substance abuse.
We also met with staff for Rep. Grace Nepo- litano, a key figure in the Congressional His- panic Caucus, as well as a staunch supporter of mental health services. We entered the meeting in the hopes of gaining her support for substance abuse treatment issues, and met with some moderate success. The Congres- sional Hispanic Caucus Institute will be hosting a summit next fall, where CAADAC might have the opportunity to make a presentation.
As for solidifying old relationships, we did a bit of that as well. We were sure to stop in on our biggest supporter in Congress, Rep. Mary Bono-Mack. Our meeting with her legislative director, Chris Foster, was as pro- ductive as any we’ve ever had. We dis- cussed the rising problem of prescription drug abuse, as well as the oversight of SAMHSA and ONDCP in Washington. As regular readers of the Freedom will recall, Rep. Bono- Mack is one of the true champions of substance abuse treatment on Capitol Hill.
Another old friend who had time for us in Washington was Geoff Laredo of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, where he is Senior Advisor to Director Dr. Nora Volkow. We spoke with Geoff about our continued interest in applying the best and latest science from NIDA on addiction and the brain to the prac- tice of substance abuse treatment. NIDA re- mains committed to this endeavor.
Also receiving visits were the office of Rep. Harry Waxman (chairman of the powerful Energy & Commerce committee,) Rep. Adam Schiff, and Rep. Tom McClintock. And how did I fare, babysitting Joe and Warren for two and a half days? Let’s just say they get to return the favor at the CAADAC annual confer- ence next fall. See you there!
Respectfully,
Andrew
