Volume 4, Issue 2

A Publication by the

June 2014

DRUG TESTING 101

2014 Officers
and Directors
Tennessee Association of
Drug Court Professionals
President
Mary Schneider
Vice President
Tracye Bryant
Treasurer
Brad Price
Secretary
Rick Taylor
West Tennessee Director
Angela Parkerson
Middle Tennessee Director
Mike Lewis
East Tennessee Director
Judge Charles Cerny
At Large Directors
Ron Hanaver
Kevin Batts
Jill Barrett

Inside This Issue

TADCP
Updates

Beyond
Rhetoric

TADCP
Events

2014 Recovery Court

Coordinator Training 3
The Presidents
Corner

Life Skills
Program

Membership
Application

Drug Testing Program Management (DTPM) is

proud to be a part of the Tennessee Association of
Drug Court Professionals as a corporate sponsor.
We will do our best to provide articles of value
related to drug testing. We
would welcome hearing what
you would like written about
in the future. Please email us
at sales@dtpm.com.
This article addresses some
FAQs by our drug court customers. Drug testing is a tool,
a tool that can assist case managers, counselors, probation
officers and judges to help make their drug court
more valuable to their community and the participants by providing early intervention.
DO WE NEED TO CONFIRM: Urine Drug
"screens" should always be confirmed if the donor
denies using the drug. All "screens" are basically
divided into two main groups, Point of care
devices (cups and dips) and laboratory based drug
test. Laboratory screens on a chemistry analyzer
are identical technology no matter if it is done at
an outside lab or in the drug court office at their
own specialty laboratory.
It is important to recognize that "screens" are
just that, an initial indication of what is in the
donors specimen. The screen itself should be
accurate, but it is important to recognize that
accuracy does not mean 100%. Cups and dips
require that the collector read the device to determine if it is positive or negative which increases
the possibility of error. The sensitivity of the
chemistry analyzer should be superior to the cup
or dip however it is still not 100%.
FALSE POSITIVE AND CONFIRMATION
TESTS: First it is important to explain that a
negative screen does not mean that "no drug was
in the urine". Drug screens have cutoff levels. A
negative result tells us that there was no drug
above the cutoff that we have set or that was set
by the manufacturer of the instant device or cup.
When the screen is positive and it is sent for
GC/MS or LC/MS confirmation and returns negative it also does not mean that "nothing" was in
the urine. It just means that the particular drug
that we tested for in the confirmation was not
there in the amount that was tested. There are
many reasons this may happen.
Dictionary.com defines "FALSE POSITIVE" as

"a test result that is incorrect because the test indicated a condition or finding that does not exist."
DTPMs position in regard to a "false positive"
when using a chemistry analyzer that has been
calibrated properly and
passed all controls is that
they dont exist. When you
conduct a screen and it
returns a positive result the
screening analyzer has
detected something.
However, we have to realize
that based on dictionary.com
it could be true that a positive result for opiate that does not mean 100%
that opiates are in the donors urine. It does however, we contend, mean that something is reacting
to that instrument and reagent. Therefore this
may require further investigation.
Confirmations done by GC/MS or LC/MS that
come back non-confirmed may indicate we are
not testing for the appropriate substances. For
example a positive Opiate screen sent for confirmation may not test for all the possible Opiates
under that class. It is common that the confirmation test for two or three substances while there
are actually seven common substances under that
class. Therefore it is important to assure that your
confirmation lab is testing for "Expanded
Opiates" or get an exact list of all Opiates they are
testing for.
Another common problem is that the level of
testing at the confirmation lab may be at workplace standards. Often the large labs test at
SAMHSA or DOT levels when actually for the
court setting you need "LOD" which is Level of
Detection.
One last issue is of PRE-SCREENING. Many
labs have the policy of screening the specimen
first before going to LC/MS or GC/MS. Drug
courts often set their levels low. So, if the lab
pre-screens, these test may never actually go to
LC/MS.
Always investigate exactly what you are purchasing and read carefully the confirmation
report.

The screen itself should be accurate,

but it is important to recognize that
accuracy does not mean 100%.

Page 2

Tennessee Association of Drug Court Professionals

TADCP UPDATES
A FEW NEW FEATURES THE TADCP WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU
TADCP has a few new features to share
with you! In an effort to make applying for
membership easier, we have created a fillable
form that you can access through our website
or through email (just ask me to send it to
you). If you are not a member and would like
to be, or if you just want to check it out, the
form is located on our website on the top
menu under Home>Membership>General
Information. You may also access it at this
link http://tadcptn.org/membership/. Theres
less duplication completing this form for a
recovery court team, and you can easily print it
out and send it in with your payment. When
you submit the form, it comes right to me!
We continue to work on the new website,
and have big, BIG, plans for it this year. It is
our mission to make the TADCP website as
close to a one-stop-shop as we can for
Tennessee Recovery Courts. We have a committee working on layout and content, so if
you have ideas feel free to email them to
marie.crosson@tadcptn.org. Updates to the
website already include a Google map of the
adult, juvenile, and family drug courts to make
it easier to identify them by location. The
directory is still there and it has more detailed

information than the maps do. We will add

other recovery court maps to the page soon.
When you have a few minutes, please check it

If you dont already know, we have

a Facebook page, Tennessee
Association of Drug Court
Professionals. Facebook users,
PLEASE go to our page and like us!
out! http://tadcptn.org/business-directory/finda-tennessee-recovery-court/.
We are pleased to announce that we also
have a very new TADCP BLOG. Weve been
adding content for several months now, and
have recently provided an opportunity for you
to sign up to receive an email alert when we
post a new one. Our goal is to provide relevant, useful material for you as a professional
linked to recovery courts or in a related field.
Please go to our website and sign up today! To
make it a cinch, heres the link:
http://tadcptn.org/tadcp-blog/! Check out the
content thus far to get an idea of what we are
doing. Our Platinum Members, Drug Testing
Program Management and ThermoFisher will

be guest bloggers this year. If you would like

to help us with blog material by sharing something about your recovery court with us, please
email me! The BLOG can be especially useful
if youd like to get the word out about something thats happening before the next newsletter.
If you dont already know, we have a
Facebook page, Tennessee Association of
Drug Court Professionals. Facebook users,
PLEASE go to our page and like" us! We
regularly share news and other recovery court
related updates, or we post pictures of events
were attending. Its also a great place to connect with each other and post about your
recovery courts events. We would all love to
know and celebrate with you if you have a
fundraiser or other special event, so SHARE!
If you are on Twitter, please add us to your
follow list. We are TADCP@tadcptn.org.
TADCP (and Marie) is new at this, but we are
trying, hard, to find ways to connect with you,
and to connect you with each other so that we
can share information and resources in a quick
and user-friendly way.

BEYOND RHETORIC: WHEN MULTIDISCIPLINARY TREATMENT TEAMS MAKE A DIFFERENCE

DONALD G. JORDAN, LMSW & DAMIEN NETHERY, LCSW I CITY COURT OF JACKSON, TN WWW.DRUGTREATMENTCOURT.COM
Trained as a Social Worker, I was taught
well that a multidisciplinary approach was
always preferred. I was taught that no matter
the added difficulty of getting individuals with
different personal perspectives and professional frameworks together with clients when collaborating toward treatment planning, it is
always in the best interest of the client, the
group and the community.
As usual in the epic chasm between academia and practice, some things sound better in
theory than they are experienced in reality.
Perhaps no one would naturally assume that a
treatment team of Drug Treatment Court in a
small, rural West Tennessee town would be
any different. The conference room table is
home every Thursday afternoon to a racially,
educationally, generationally, socially and
vocationally diverse group. Attorneys, Social
Workers, Medical Doctors, Recovery Veterans,
Executives, Professors, and Drug Treatment
Court alumni sit around a small table just outside of the courtroom proceedings. Interviews
are held, sanctions and incentives are discussed, trainings are provided, best practices
are reviewed, and somehow the work is
accomplished week by week.

The motley and talented crew that makes up

our Treatment Team would be unlikely to form
consensus on much. And in this very reality is
found the secret to the multidisciplinary team
in Drug Court. Within the last month, referrals
have been accepted and denied due to each
member of the treatment team speaking up and
adding value and insight to the discussion
before consensus is reached. Informed disagreement and discussion springs from differing backgrounds, professions and seasons of
life resulting in better decisions and therefore
better outcomes. In one case, a clinician might
speak to the affect and mood of a client being
problematic, changing the decision of the
team. In another instance, an attorney assists a
client in fully understanding his legal choices
for the first time, affecting his desire to participate. The bleeding heart of a student intern
helps facilitate better-explained thought
processes and decision-making. These decisions with the input and support of our judge
have facilitated a ten-year-old program boasting great results across fiduciary, therapeutic
and restorative success standards.
Were the treatment team to consist only of
social workers, only of those in recovery, only

of those in the legal profession, or only those

in mental health, law enforcement or criminal
justice, each decision would reflect a strong
bias unworthy of human complexity and dignity. In the City Court of Jackson Tennessee,
when the Treatment Team sits around a small
conference room table just outside of the
courtroom proceedings, the value of multidisciplinary teams is made clear. And both people
and community find recovery.

TADCP
E
V
E

Mark Your
Calendars!
2014 NADCP
Conference

December 3-5, 2014

Embassy Suites &

Conference Center
Murfreesboro, Tennessee

Registration Information Coming Soon!

Page 3

Tennessee Association of Drug Court Professionals

2014 RECOVERY COURT COORDINATOR TRAINING

THE
PRESIDENTS
CORNER

LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN THE MOUNTAINS

The Tennessee 2014 Recovery Court
Coordinator Training is scheduled for
June 10th 12th at the MainStay Suites in
Pigeon Forge. This is a very nice facility
that has just undergone a total renovation.
You can visit the website by going to:
http://www.mainstaypigeonforge.com/. I
hope everyone who is planning to attend
will enjoy the mountain views and all area
has to offer.
This years training will start with an
afternoon session covering the Evolution
of the Addicted Brain,
Medication Assisted Treatment, and the
Opiate Addicted Pregnancy presented by
Dr. Stephen Loyd. There will also be sessions on Veteran Benefits, Oxford House,
Criminal Thinking in addition to panel
discussions on Creative Housing, Pros and
Cons of Non-Profits and Foundation and
the Definition of Violent Felonies. This
years training follows the NADCP
Conference in California where they will
be disseminating the next 5 Best Practices
publication. Im sure they will also be a
topic for discussion. There will be networking opportunities, updates from
LaTray on the PS Court TN -WITs data
system and I will have a bit of time to discuss TDMHSAS business before closing
the training.

A BBQ supper with all the fixins will

be on Tuesday night. Many of you are
bringing family members and I look forward to meeting them. Hopefully the
weather will cooperate so we can enjoy
the outdoors under the Pavilion beside the
creek that runs through the property.
TN WITS UPDATE The long awaited
fees section is up and running! Please use
it and let LaTray know if there are any
issues. She will be distributing updated
PS Court TN-WITs TIP Sheets soon that
will include the many changes and data
elements that you have requested to be
added to the PS Court module. As we
have said many times, "this is a work in
progress" and continues to be a "work in
progress". We do appreciate your feedback and recommendations.

June 10 - 12th
MainStay Suites in
Pigeon Forge
I look forward to spending time with
you and listening to what each of you has
to share. If you have any questions or
need assistance please contact me at 615532-3411 or liz.ledbetter@tn.gov.

BY MARY SCHNEIDER
May was National Drug Court Month and we
also celebrated the 25th Anniversary of Drug
Courts. I hope many of you took advantage and put
your drug court in the spotlight in your community.
The 16th Judicial District Recovery Courts had
their annual picnic on May 22nd, which is always
well received by staff, participants and alumni.
Then on May 29th, we all got together and did a
Clean Up Day and cleaned up trash on our communitys greenway trails. This was our way of giving
back to the community that has done so much for
us, and also allowed us to get a little publicity.
Please let us know what your courts did to celebrate!
25th Anniversary of Drug Courts! Amazing!
Who thought it would take off like it has and
become such a success? Because of Drug Courts
many states are looking at their criminal justice systems and making changes that make more sense
than throwing people in jail. States are actually
closing prisons because of drug courts success! I
would like the state of Tennessee to make better use
of drug courts and encourage the growth of drug
courts financially. I know the Governor is doing
this to a certain extent. But all parties in the
Criminal Justice System need to sit down at the
table and include drug courts in the continuum of
care that can relieve our prisons and local jail systems. Texas, New Jersey and California, to name a
few, are providing models to other states on how to
best utilize drug courts. Governor Haslam and
Commissioner Varney need to look to these states
to see how it is done, and done well.
Yes, we have come a long way in this state, but
we could be so much better and smarter with the
taxpayers money. TADCP will continue to advocate for drug courts and for you, our members. But
we always need your help. Writing letters and visiting our legislators is always time well spent. They
do listen to us! Thank you for your support!

Regards,
Mary Schneider, LAPSW

TADCP MEMBERS
ENJOY....

CONTINUING EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES

(NAADAC AND CLE)

ANNUAL TADCP CONFERENCE

QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER
REPRESENTATION THROUGH THE
TADCP LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE
FREE AND DISCOUNTED TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Page 4

Tennessee Association of Drug Court Professionals

LIFE SKILLS PROGRAM

ADMINISTERED BY THE GREENE COUNTY DRUG COURT PROGRAM AND CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

The Greene County Drug Court

Treatment Program would like to high-

light the Life Skills component of our

program. The Life Skills classes are
administered by members of Greeneville
Cumberland Presbyterian Church on a
voluntary basis as part of their ministry.
The classes focus on life and vocational
skills, such as resume preparation and
suitable interaction with prospective
employers, budgeting and financial
responsibility, parenting and other family
matters, anger management, and nutrition

among other topics. The classes are a

requirement of our Drug Court participants and are regularly held once each
month. Our team members and program
graduates feel that the Life Skills classes
greatly help contribute to the growth of
the participants. Our program is very fortunate to be able to partner with the
Church and the invaluable volunteers to
help our participants with everyday living
skills.

TENNESSEE ASSOCIATION OF DRUG COURT PROFESSIONALS

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
A one-year membership to TADCP is $25 per person. An organizational membership from 1/01/2014 - 12/31/2014 is $200 for 2-10 members
and $10 for each additional member greater than 10. Please make checks payable to TADCP.
Is this application for an individual membership or organizational membership? Individual Organizational
Please specify the membership organization_______________________________________________________
1. Primary contact person
Name
Title
Organization

Drug Court
Mailing Address
City, State, ZIP

A Publication by the

P.O. Box 639

McMinnville, TN 37111

COMPUTER
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New Horizons Nashville has

pricing set up with TADCP for
computer training.
The following prices are for TADCP
members:
Access - $88 per level per student
Word - $58 per level per student
Excel - $68 per level per student
OLA Access - $67 per user for
Online Anytime
Feel free to call or email for any
additional information:

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