President Proposes $3.3 Billion Budget for SAMHSA
President George W. Bush has proposed a budget of $3.3
billion for SAMHSA in Fiscal Year (FY) 2007 that renews
the Agency's emphasis and innovation in two primary areas—Access
to Recovery (ATR) and Mental Health System Transformation.
The proposed $3.3 billion budget is similar to FY 2006
funding levels in spite of a $67 million decrease that,
in part, reflects a large number of grant programs coming
to a natural end in FY 2006.
The budget includes:
$1.8 billion for the Substance Abuse Prevention and
Treatment Block Grant, and $428 million for the Community
Mental Health Services Block Grant.
$98 million for the ATR program, which includes approximately
$70 million for the Voucher Incentive Program, $25 million
for the Methamphetamine Voucher Program, and $3 million
to evaluate the ATR program.
$20 million for seven Mental Health Transformation State
Incentive Grants; in addition, states will be required
to use part of their Community Mental Health Services
Block Grant funds to support state-based mental health
transformation activities.
More than $95 million to continue Strategic Prevention
Framework (SPF) state incentive grants and contracts.
"The proposed FY 2007 budget continues our commitment
to making solid, lasting changes that will place consumers
and families at the center of an improved delivery system,"
said SAMHSA Administrator Charles G. Curie, M.A., A.C.S.W.,
at a Constituent Budget Briefing held January 9 at SAMHSA
headquarters. "The budget offers a glimpse of what
SAMHSA can accomplish in the next few years. It is a
fiscally responsible budget that sets priorities and
holds Government programs accountable for real results,"
he said.
"Most importantly," Mr. Curie added, "SAMHSA
is not ending or terminating any grants in FY 2007."
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Substance Abuse
The FY 2007 budget includes $2.3 billion for substance
abuse treatment and prevention activities. It also proposes
level funding for the Substance Abuse Prevention and
Treatment Block Grant at $1.8 billion.
Pathways to Recovery. The budget provides
$375 million, a reduction of $24 million, for Substance
Abuse Treatment Programs of Regional and National Significance.
Of this, $98 million is for the ATR voucher program.
Beginning in FY 2007, states will have incentives to
use part of their Block Grant funds for drug treatment
vouchers for people seeking treatment or recovery support
from a qualified community provider of their choice,
including faith-based organizations. In addition, $25
million in new funding will be targeted to areas with
high rates of methamphetamine use to fund vouchers to
cover treatment and/or recovery support services.
Other Substance Abuse Treatment Programs.
The FY 2007 budget proposes to increase the Screening,
Brief Intervention, Referral, and Treatment Program to
more than $31 million. It also calls for $8 million to
support a new group of Addiction Technology Transfer
Centers, which distribute research-based knowledge throughout
the field. Several Center for Substance Abuse Treatment
grant programs and contracts are coming to a natural
end, including the general Targeted Capacity Expansion
grants, and a few programs targeting pregnant and postpartum
women, children, and adolescents. Nevertheless, SAMHSA's
FY 2007 budget will support 499 grants and contracts,
which include 378 continuation grants and 121 new competitive
awards.
Prevention. The budget proposes $181
million for Substance Abuse Prevention Programs of Regional
and National Significance, a reduction of $12 million
from FY 2006. For example, the Strategic Prevention Framework,
which will be funded at $95 million next year, allows
states to better use prevention resources, implement
effective prevention programs, and coordinate prevention
among different agencies and funding streams. In FY 2007,
SAMHSA will strengthen the Agency's focus on preventing
underage drinking. The budget also calls for level funding
of programs to help communities prevent methamphetamine
and inhalant abuse.
SAMHSA will continue working with the Office of National
Drug Control Policy to support some 720 grantees funded
through the drug-free communities grant program. In addition,
the budget proposes nearly $40 million for the Substance
Abuse Prevention and HIV Prevention in Minority Communities
Services Grants program, and nearly $10 million to sustain
the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Center for Excellence.
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Mental Health
The budget proposes $849 million for mental health services,
a decrease of $35 million from FY 2006.
Mental Health Block Grant. The budget
calls for continued transformation of the Community Mental
Health Block Grant, funded at $428 million, consistent
with the recommendations of the President's Commission
on Mental Health. The FY 2007 budget seeks to encourage
reform of the mental health system so that:
Americans understand that mental health is essential
to overall health.
Mental health care is consumer- and family-driven.
Disparities in mental health services are eliminated.
Early mental health screening, assessment, and referral
to services are common practice.
Excellent mental health care is delivered, and research
is accelerated.
Technology is used to access mental health care and
information.
To support these goals, states will be required to use
at least $153 million for mental health system transformation.
In addition, $20 million is included to continue existing
State Incentive Grants for Transformation.
Other Mental Health Programs. SAMHSA's
suicide prevention programs will be funded at $35 million.
This includes $27 million for Garrett Lee Smith Memorial
Act suicide prevention activities and approximately $3
million in new funding for an American Indian/Alaska
Native Youth Suicide Prevention Initiative. The Co-Occurring
State Incentive Grants program will be funded at nearly
$8 million, while $29 million is proposed for the National
Child Traumatic Stress Initiative. SAMHSA's school-based
violence prevention activities will receive $76 million
in funding, which reflects an $18 million reduction as
a result of the Safe Schools/Healthy Students and Youth
Violence Prevention grants coming to a natural end.
In addition, the budget proposes level funding for three
other Center for Mental Health Services programs—the
Children's Mental Health Services program ($104 million),
Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness
($54 million), and the Protection and Advocacy for Individuals
with Mental Illness program ($34 million).
SAMHSA Data Activities. The budget
includes an increase of $5 million for the Drug Abuse
Warning Network. In addition, SAMHSA will continue to
develop and fully implement National Outcome Measures
across all Agency programs.
"We're focusing on accountability," Mr. Curie
said. "We are moving past providing funding for
treatment services to providing funding for the most
effective, evidence-based treatment and recovery support
services that move consumers and families along the path
of recovery. The measures we use to define the recovery
process will point to treatment failures, identify treatment
improvements, and give consumers more confidence to seek
care that is proven to work."
Mr. Curie added that, while states will be responsible
for reporting outcomes data, SAMHSA will support their
efforts with infrastructure and technical assistance
through the State Outcomes Measurement and Management
System.
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Online Links
SAMHSA's Web site offers downloads of the FY 2007 budget
in both PDF and Word formats at www.samhsa.gov/budget.
Also, a "Budget in Brief" is available at the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Web site
at www.hhs.gov/
budget/.
SAMHSA Budget Authority by Activity
(Dollars in Millions)
|
|
$1,776 |
$1,759 |
$1,759 |
|
422 |
399 |
375 |
199
|
193 |
181 |
$2,397 |
$2,350 |
$2,315 |
|
$433 |
$429 |
$428 |
55 |
54 |
54 |
274 |
263 |
228 |
105 |
104 |
104 |
34 |
34 |
34 |
$901 |
$884 |
$849 |
$94 |
$92 |
$97 |
$3,392
|
$3,327 |
$3,260 |
|
-123 |
-121 |
-126 |
$3,268 |
$3,206 |
$3,134 |
535 |
558 |
558 |
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