This report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration presents national indicators for substance use and mental health among persons who are 12 years old or older. Indicators include substance use and alcohol use in a prior month, and illicit drug use, substance use disorders, mental illness, substance use treatment, and mental health services received in the past year.

The National Indian Health Board (NIHB) will host a virtual meeting on October 13-16, 2020 focused solely on health for American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Conference presentations will cover Tribal health care, health policy’s impact on Tribal communities, behavioral and environmental health, and best practices being implemented in Indian Country.

This issue brief by Voices for Utah Children in conjunction with the Aspen Institute focuses on two-generation strategies to reduce poverty. Voices for Utah worked with Utah lawmakers to address the issue by passing the Intergenerational Poverty Mitigation Act in 2012 and creating an Intergenerational Poverty Advisory Commission in 2013. The goal was to develop evidence-based strategies and interventions with policymakers to increase economic security, educational success, social capital, and health and well-being for families. This legislation and approach have been a critical step in creating a framework for states to develop five- and ten-year plans to address poverty.

This fact sheet defines two-generation and whole-family approaches that simultaneously provide services and opportunities to both children and the adults in their lives. The fact sheet also includes summaries and links to resources on 5 key components of the two-generation approach: Postsecondary Education and Employment Pathways; Early Childhood Education and Development; Economic Assets; Health and Well-Being; and Social Capital.

The Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin will host a virtual seminar on October 15, 2020 from 12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. CT. The seminar will discuss metrics, covering financial well-being, secure and stable housing, family stability, health, supportive communities, education, and work, that embody the comprehensive definition of economic and social mobility developed by the U.S. Partnership on Mobility from Poverty. Urban Institute’s Greg Acs will lead the seminar’s discussion.

This issue brief from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) addresses opioid misuse and opioid use disorder in the U.S. Hispanic and Latino population. The brief presents various challenges these communities face including discrimination and trauma, intergenerational substance abuse, language barriers, and other sociocultural factors associated with accessing prevention and treatment and recovery services.

From CEOs to frontline employees providing essential services, workers across the board have been impacted by the uncertainty, stress, anxiety, loss of earnings, and other emotional and physical trauma brought on by COVID-19. These experiences, whether neurological or emotional, can deplete executive functions. Written by an organizational psychologist, this article offers strategies organizations can use to reduce cognitive load and restore balance to employees returning to the office. The three strategies identified are rest, schedule breaks, and implement a phased return to the workplace; acknowledge and name feelings and hire a psychologist to meet with managers; and take steps to help with memory deficiency, including the use of assistive technology and memory tools. Organizations might also want to hold workshops on time management and organizational skills or bring in coaches to help employees use new technology.

This research to practice brief from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation describes examination of findings from nine rural programs that serve child welfare-involved parents with substance use disorders. The examination was unable to provide information on program effectiveness but does focus on the range of services offered, the targeted population, how funding is blended, and collaborative approaches of these programs. Programs covered in this brief are: Children and Recovering Mothers (CHARM) Care Collaborative (Burlington, Vermont); Iowa Department of Human Services Parent Partner Mentoring Program; Kentucky Sobriety Treatment and Recovery Teams (START); Vermont Hub and Spoke Model; Women in Recovery (Tulsa, Oklahoma); The Arizona Families in Recovery Succeeding Together (FIRST) Program; Helen Ross McNabb Center (HRMC) Great Starts Program and Motivating our Mothers to Succeed Silver Linings and Rise to Recovery Models (Knoxville, Tennessee); and Parent-Child Assistance Program (Washington State).

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention within the U.S. Department of Justice will host a webinar on July 30, 2020 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET which will focus on serving adolescents in family drug courts. Emphasis will be on encouraging youth to engage in building positive relationships with adults and peers and to be actively involved in developing their own voice as they transition into adulthood. Strategies for substance use prevention and treatment and information on recovery support will also be addressed.

This dataset from the Annie E. Casey Foundation is the 31st edition that follows and ranks states on metrics related to child well-being. The data reflects trends prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Particular focus is on four larger categories of trend analysis: economic well-being, education, family and community, and health. Additionally, there are individual state profiles with relevant data that are presented as user-friendly fact sheets.