The blending of resources, information, and talent are all goals of a landmark initiative developed in 2001 by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). The interagency agreement called the NIDA/SAMHSA-ATTC Blending Initiative, a unique partnership that uses the expertise of both agencies to meld science and practice together to improve drug abuse and addiction treatment.
This initiative encourages the use of current evidence-based treatment interventions by professionals in the treatment field.
Blending Teams, comprised of Community Treatment Programs (CTP) and researchers affiliated with NIDA's Clinical Trials Network (CTN) and staff from CSAT's Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network, are charged with the dissemination of research results for adoption and implementation into practice.
These teams will identify and develop activities and materials (e.g. trainings, self-study programs, workshops and distant learning opportunities) for the addiction treatment field that will provide the tools necessary to access and adopt NIDA research protocols.
