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Drugs and its effects discussed at behavioral health conference
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, represented by Region 9 SAMHSA administrator Capt. Jon Perez, talked about the relation of family health on substance abusive individuals in the CNMI and a possible solution to address the issue during the first-ever behavioral health conference of the CNMI yesterday.
The conference started Monday at the Saipan World Resort.
Perez said the CNMI must put together all its resources in order to address this issue, along with supporting mental health services.
“We talked about really bringing all of the community services together to promote family health, individual health, and community health to really bring the various pieces of the services of the CNMI together to combat substance abuse, uncoordinated family issues that come along with that, and also to support the mental health services that are available here,” he said.
Community Guidance Center director Nadine H. Sablan shared the importance of the conference. “We want to bring attention to mental illness and substance abuse here in the CNMI,” she said. “Most of the people here in this room are decision makers and policy makers, along with people that are in government agencies and participating members that have to do with people that experience different behavioral health ailments in the CNMI.”
