Six cooperative agreements totaling $11 million have been inked between the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and medical schools to train medical residents on screening, brief intervention and treatment (SBIRT) for addiction disorders.

The five-year SBIRT Medical Residency Program agreements will fund medical education as well as promote adoption and wider dissemination of SBIRT. "Nearly 95 percent of the people who have a diagnosable substance use disorder are unlikely to seek treatment -- most often because they are unaware they have a problem," said SAMHSA Acting Administrator Eric Broderick. "This program empowers healthcare professionals to identify the signs of substance abuse and provide help to those in need in the most expeditious and effective manner possible."

The agreements, administered by the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, were made with the University of California, Mercer University, the University of Missouri, Indiana University, and the University of Maryland.