Newswise — The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has developed a series of Metro Briefs providing detailed statistical snapshots of drug- related visits to hospital emergency departments occurring in 11 metropolitan areas across the nation. This series of briefs is based on SAMHSA’s Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), a public health surveillance system which collects data from nationally representative emergency departments participating in the program. Each brief provides a wide range of information about the nature and scope of drug-related admissions in a metropolitan area through a variety of charts, graphs and accompanying text. This information includes: ‧ Comparative data on the level of drug-related emergency department visits occurring within the metropolitan area and the nation as a whole ‧ Key demographic patient characteristics such as gender and age ‧ Breakdowns on the substances of abuse involved in the emergency department visits ‧ Information on the levels of emergency department visits involving drug- related suicide attempts ‧ Data on emergency department visits involving underage drinking These briefs were developed by SAMHSA as part of its strategic initiative on data, outcomes, and quality – an effort to create integrated data systems that help inform policy makers and providers on behavioral health issues. The briefs are available on the web at http://www.samhsa.gov/statesinbrief/. For related publications and information, visit http://www.samhsa.gov/.
SAMHSA is a public health agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. Its mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America’s communities.
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