In September 2003, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) launched the Co-Occurring Center for Excellence (COCE). The mission of the COCE is to serve as a leading national resource for the field of co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders.

The COCE will compile and continually update the latest evidence- and consensus-based practices for diffusion into a range of settings in order to enhance system and clinical capacities to respond to the needs of persons with co-occurring disorders. The COCE will advance a unified substance abuse and mental health approach, address all levels of mental health and substance abuse disorder severity, and adapt solutions to the unique needs of each service recipient. The COCE consists of national and regional experts who will serve to shape its mission, guiding principles, and approach. The COCE staff, subcontractors, and consultants will provide technical assistance consistent with the state-of-the-art knowledge that is compiled and updated on an ongoing basis. Assistance will be available to States, cities, counties, tribes and tribal organizations, community based providers, educational establishments, criminal justice related entities, and other social and public health providers seeking to enhance their ability to serve individuals with co-occurring disorders. All requests for COCE services must be made in writing by the requesting agency's decision making authority. All plans for providing technical assistance must receive federal approval prior to implementation. Send requests for technical assistance to the listed address.