University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
Based on the organizing concepts of Gordon Nagayama Hall’s formulation of the state of interventions research in ethnic minority communities and modeled on the socio-ecologic framework, the SARG’s partnership between UNM’s Institute for Public Health and the Center on Alcoholism Substance Abuse and Addictions (CASAA) is aimed at developing a research infrastructure focused on interventions related to alcohol use, abuse and dependence among Hispanic, Native American and other poor rural communities in the Southwest. The SARG project aims to train and mentor the next generation of investigators of color and other researchers working with minority targeted populations dedicated to alcohol interventions research including culturally supported interventions (CSIs) and empirically supported interventions (ESIs).
Studies indicate that alcohol consumption and poverty are linked. New Mexico ranks 50th in per capita income with 44% of its citizens living in poverty. Many people, particularly those of color, live at a subsistence level. New Mexico is near the top on most measures of alcohol abuse impact. In New Mexico age adjusted mortality rates for Hispanic males and American Indian males and females exceed the rates for non-Hispanic whites (NMSHS/DOH(2000). Corrected mortality rates for American Indians are 40% higher. The experts on the team all have extended histories with UNM and elsewhere on alcohol and substance abuse. The components include the Administrative Core, with an the Internal Executive Committee; the Pilot Project Component; the Career Development and Mentoring Component; and the Community Outreach and Dissemination Component. The members of the SARG Internal Executive Committee are: Dr. Nina Wallerstein, Dr. William R. Miller, Dr. Bonnie Duran, Dr. Gilbert Quintero, Dr. Catie Willging, Dr. Melvina McCabe, Dr. William Wiese. In addition, a Program Advisory Committee provides the scientific and programmatic oversight to the SARG.