Strategic Action Plans Clarify SAMHSA Matrix
Individual Strategic Action Plans for each of the 11 program areas identified in the
SAMHSA Matrix of Priority Programs are now available on the SAMHSA
Web site.
The Agency's priority program areas are Mental Health System Transformation, SAMHSA's
Strategic Prevention Framework, Substance Abuse Treatment Capacity, Children and Families,
Seclusion and Restraint, Co-Occurring Disorders, Disaster Readiness and Response, Homelessness,
HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis, Criminal and Juvenile Justice, and Older Adults.
"The Strategic Action Plans demonstrate how SAMHSA's Priority Matrix provides
a blueprint for guiding the Agency's current and future activities," said SAMHSA
Administrator Charles G. Curie, M.A., A.C.S.W.
As an example of how the Action Plans will work, the SAMHSA Action Plan for Co-Occurring
Disorders outlines the Agency's strategy to meet the needs of an estimated 4 million
people in the United States affected by co-occurring mental illness and substance abuse
disorders.
The plan is driven by two long-term goals. The first goal is to increase the percentage
of people with or at risk for
co-occurring disorders who receive prevention and treatment services that address both
disorders. The second goal is to increase the percentage of people with co-occurring
disorders who experience reduced impairment from their co-occurring disorders following
appropriate treatment. These goals will be accomplished through a series of activities
slated for implementation over the next 2 years. These activities include:
Continue funding the Co-Occurring State Incentive Grants in fiscal year 2003,
and award additional grants in 2004 and 2005. Incorporate specific requirements to address co-occurring disorders in state
plans developed through the new Child and Adolescent State Incentive Grants. Sponsor three National State Policy Academies on Co-Occurring Disorders, each
of which will target 10 states, and provide technical assistance to states that participate
in the academies. Identify peer-reviewed programs and practices focusing on co-occurring
disorders that merit inclusion in SAMHSA's National Registry of Effective Programs
and Practices. Develop and pilot a screening and assessment instrument for co-occurring disorders. Work with other Federal agencies to support new research on the prevention
and treatment of co-occurring disorders. Publish a revised Treatment Improvement Protocol on co-occurring disorders. Develop and pilot a resource kit on integrated treatment of co-occurring disorders. -
Provide ongoing technical assistance from SAMHSA's National Co-Occurring Center
for Excellence (see SAMHSA News article Co-Occurring
Center for Excellence).
Work with SAMHSA's partners to improve the quality, availability, and accessibility
of treatment for co-occurring disorders.
"Each Action Plan outlines a clear agenda for tackling the challenges before
us," Mr. Curie said. "They describe the specific goals we plan to achieve,
the activities we intend to support to achieve those goals, and the means by which
we will hold ourselves accountable.
"The SAMHSA Priority Matrix continues to be a document in motion," Mr.
Curie added. "SAMHSA's stakeholders played an active role in developing the Matrix
over the past 2 years, and as their needs evolve, so will the Matrix."
For more information about SAMHSA's Matrix of Priority Programs, visit the SAMHSA
Web site at www.samhsa.gov. 
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