of that. we, using our grant portfolio, are trying to make sure that in the housing first context, mental health and substance abuse wraparound services are provided. i've mentioned our soar program that our center of mental health services has, and then dealing with people who are in transitional or shelters because that's where they are, as was pointed out, those are the things that we're doing. and i also like to put in a pitch for our access to recovery program, which allows wraparound services to be provided. it's a state-run program. we are in 19 jurisdictions and 5 tribal organizations, and we allow wraparound services, including facilitated housing and employment services, to be an integral part of that process. so working with our partners at hud, our partners at the department of justice, as well as the administration for children and families, we are trying to make sure that the federal government plays a critical partnership with the ngos in the community. excellent. well, i want to remind our audience that september is national alcohol and drug addiction recovery month. i want to encourage you to go to the web site, www.recoverymonth.gov, to get more information, and to get engaged,

of using prescription and over-the-counter medications properly. joining us in our panel today are dr. h. westley clark, director, center for substance abuse treatment, substance abuse and mental health servicesinistration, u.s. department of health and human services, rockville, maryland; dr. timothy condon, deputy director, national institute on drug abuse, national institutes of health, u.s. department of health and human services, rockville, maryland; dr. barbara krantz, chief executive officer and medical director, hanley center, west palm beach, florida; beverly gmerek, prescription drug abuse prevention program coordinator, peer assistance services inc., denver, colorado. dr. clark, how prevalent is prescription drug misuse in the united states? well, we estimate that there are approximately 15 million people who misuse prescription drugs in the united states, and that gives us an estimated 2.5 million new initiates per year, or, if you think about it, that's about 7,000 new initiates a day. and within that, do one age group uses it more than others? what is the distribution among the age groups? well, i think the most important thing to keep in mind is that prescription drug abuse aff

of the road to recovery. today we'll be talking about homelessness and substance use disorder treatment. joining us in our panel today are dr. h. westley clark, director, center for substance abuse treatment, substance abuse and mental health services administration, u.s. department of health and human services, rockville, maryland. richard cho, director of innovations and research, corporation for supportive housing, new haven, connecticut. robert kershaw, business owner and outreach worker, oxford house, incorporated, silver spring, maryland. dr. jesse b. milby, director, medical psychology, substance abuse and homeless research program, department of psychology, university of alabama at birmingham, birmingham, alabama. dr. clark, when is a person categorized as homeless? well, the most important thing is to recognize that when a person lacks a permanent, fixed residence, they meet the category of homeless. now, there are a number of temporary arrangements that people have; for instance, it's estimated that roughly 1.6 million people are living in transitional or shelters, and they also meet the definition of homeless. so it's-we're looking for people who have permanent, fixed residence, and if you don't have that, then you're de

westley clark, director, center for substance abuse treatment, substance abuse and mental health services administration, u.s. department oflth and human services, rockville, maryland. marco e. jacome, chief executive officer, healthcare alternative systems incorporated, chicago, illinois. john de miranda, president and ceo, stepping stone, san diego, california. william lossiah-bratt, board of directors, southeastern regional representative, faces and voices of recovery, cherokee, north carolina. dr. clark, why should we be concerned about ethnic and racial differences within the addiction and recovery field, as well as other differences? well, one of the things that we want to make sure is that people who have substance use problems are able to recover and that materials that we use can assist them in that process. and so, you know, there are differences associated with cultural values and beliefs, starting from how one physiologically responds to a particular substance misuse to how certain substances are used in a cultural context. so if we're going to facilitate recovery, we need to understand the language, the belief

am very pleased to have sahmsa's center for mental health services participating in this year's activities along with csat and csap, as we call them. getting the message ofovery right is critical because people take action based on what they hear and see and, most importantly, what they experience. experience shapes our knowledge, our values, our attitudes, our beliefs, and our action. i have this wonderful job in which the drug problem is an equality opportunity problem. it doesn't really care about sex or race or ethnicity. and you know what? the drug problem doesn't care whether it has a "d" after it or an "r" after it or any other party affiliation. this is a national problem. we have to work much harder, and we should take this report that sahmsa did, should take this report for the wakeup call for which it is. wow, the national recovery month press conference here at the national press club- exciting, exciting opportunity. i'm very familiar with the press. believe it or not, i received a little press a few times in my active addiction. you laugh, but it's true. but i think the important thing is, now i am getting press as a result of my recovery, a

project of the nonprofit center for investigative reporting, not a single one has been established. educational reporter lyanne melendez follows up. >> el cerito high has mental health servicese also offered. >> they can say they love you and care for you. >> the director, she says if students are healthy, physically and mentally it will reflect in their school work. >> we knew if we could create a set of services and connect those service with young people that we would support them to do well in school. >> they things, we cry and they are also to cry on when we don't have anybody to talk to at home. >> there are 176 health centers in schools in california. there should have been more by now. four years ago then governor swarzenegger promised to add 500 of them in elementary schools. >> schwarzenegger came about, we were trying to pass health reform legislation. the thinking was the health centers would be part of that. >> but the california legislature never passed health care reform. then came the recession. according to california watch, as a result, to date not a single one of these centers has opened. the new state superintendent of schools.... >> we are in a fiscal em