Summary of Keynote Address |
Two major keynote addresses were given at the Bi-National Demand Reduction Conference, one at the luncheon on March 19th, the other at the banquet that evening. The following section summarizes those two speeches. The luncheon speaker, introduced by General McCaffrey, was Dr. Nelba Chavez, the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Chavez encouraged her audience to see that reducing drug abuse requires loud and clear messages at home, at school, and at work from leaders on both sides of the border. The banquet speaker, introduced by Ms. Haydée Rosovsky, was Mr. Jesús Cabrera Solís, Director of the Youth Integration Centers in Mexico. As Mr. Cabrera pointed out, the Centers provide health care services while offering an array of social services addressing the problems of drug addiction in the Mexican community.
Dr. Nelba Chavez
Dr. Chavez began by noting that no two countries are working together on more important issues, with a more direct effect on the lives of their citizens, than are Mexico and the United States. She further stated that no work our two nations are doing together is more important than this conference. Addressing the first Alliance Point in our shared Bi-National Drug Strategy, she claimed, is basic to mutual progress in combating the drug problem. This Alliance Point stresses the need "to enhance anti-drug information, intensify educational efforts, and build on our rehabilitative programs." She explained that the multiple workshops being held at the conference were designed to encourage this very diverse group of attendees to focus on equally diverse areas such as community participation, youth, special populations, HIV and AIDS risk, public information and awareness, drug prevention, involvement of the business community, and innovative programs in the workplace.
Dr. Chavez noted that drug abuse is a public health problem that knows no national boundaries. She contended that it is on the border that we most need to mount a crusade against it. To that end, she explained, SAMHSA is currently spending $350 million along the southwest border. She cited the group Alviane, which means "to heal," as an example of a treatment provider SAMHSA is helping to serve migrant populations in five remote west Texas counties. SAMHSA is also supporting prevention initiatives to translate and disseminate educational materials through bi-national workshops that train community leaders on substance abuse, she said, while other projects administer school-based surveys in border sister cities. In her view, these projects, like this conference, are the "seeds," for growing public health solutions, based on mutual collaboration and consistent, culturally appropriate strategies.
Dr. Chavez emphasized that reducing drug abuse is not a single-shot effort. It requires loud and clear messages at home, at school, and at work from leaders on both sides of the border. She maintained that it is also important that substance abuse services be made available to all who need them. Further, increasing the cultural competence of those who provide those services is important to that effort. As she noted, drawing on our own experiences to meet personal crises can contribute to building better public health resources to cope with drug abuse. She cited the example of tree growth to suggest that a tree survives during a prolonged drought by strengthening its root system; this ensures more rapid growth later when conditions improve. Similarly, she claimed that this conference provides a similar opportunity to strengthen our roots in a time of trouble to provide more enhanced opportunity for growth and development.
