SAMHSA FY Budget for 2005
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Significant Items for the House, Senate and Conference Appropriations Committee
Reports - Senate Report No. 108-81
|
[Adolescent mental health screening public awareness campaign] -
Between 7 million to 10 million teenagers suffer from a mental health condition
which, for many, may lead to serious behavioral problems including dropping out
of school, substance abuse, violence, and suicide. The Committee is aware that
some school districts, juvenile justice facilities, and community-based clinics
have taken advantage of relatively simple screening tools now available to
detect depression, the risk of suicide, and other mental disorders in
teenagers. The Committee believes that screening should occur with the consent
of the adolescent and his or her parents or guardian, and with a commitment by
the screener to make counseling and treatment for those found to be at-risk.
The Committee strongly urges SAMHSA to make the availability of these screening
programs more widely known, and to collaborate with the Department of
Education, Department of Justice, CDC, HRSA, and other pertinent agencies to
encourage implementation of similar teenage screening programs. The Committee
expects to receive a report on steps being taken to promote this effort prior
to the fiscal year 2005 appropriations hearings. (Pages 179-180).
Action taken or to be taken
The Committee requested a report on the steps being taken to promote this
activity before the 2005 appropriations hearings. The information is provided
below.
SAMHSA is currently supporting the development of school-based suicide
prevention guidelines in response to a set of objectives given by the National
Strategy for Suicide Prevention. These guidelines provide information on how to
create comprehensive, suicide prevention programs. The guide also offers
descriptions of over 30 exemplary, school-based suicide prevention programs,
including several screening programs utilizing evidence-based screening tools.
SAMHSA plans to work in collaboration with the Department of Education, the
Department of Justice, CDC and other pertinent agencies to promote
dissemination of these guidelines.
SAMHSA will meet with NIMH, CDC, and other Federal partners, to discuss the
requirements, feasibility, advisability, and necessary next steps to promote
widespread implementation of screening programs for teenagers.
|
Item
[Resources required to establish State infrastructure supporting transition to
performance partnership] The Committee is concerned that SAMHSA
has not yet provided Congress information detailing the resources each State
will need for data infrastructure and other needs to support a transition to a
performance partnership grant as called for in the Children's Health Act of
2000. The Committee expects SAMHSA to work with the State and local substance
abuse community in order to accurately determine the resources needed for the
new and expanded data collection requirements and to report this information to
Congress expeditiously. (Pages 186-187)
Action taken or to be taken
SAMHSA is planning to assess individual State needs in this area. For example,
it plans to use technical assistance funds of the Center for Substance Abuse
Treatment (CSAT) to assess State capacity to report substance abuse treatment
data. In general, however, over the past several years, SAMHSA and the States
have prepared for performance measurement and management. SAMHSA's block grant
set-asides are the key source of funding available to both SAMHSA and the
States for consensus building, data collection, data analysis, technology
support, technical assistance, and evaluation. Activities funded by the
set-aside sustain and advance the action steps identified in the PPG
implementation plan described in the next section of this report.
Another key source of support that will enable States to transition more easily
to PPGs comes through SAMHSA's State Incentive Grants (SIG). Because they are
designed to give the States the ability to plan comprehensively, leverage funds
across systems and departments to address certain priorities and use
evidence-based practices, SAMHSA SIGs work in much the same way as the proposed
PPGs. At a minimum, they work in tandem with PPGs. The CSAT Access To Recovery
initiative, a SIG, is also consistent and supportive of developing the state
data infrastructure essential in measuring and monitoring PPG activities.
SAMHSA will continue its specific support to the States for data collection and
reporting through grant and contract programs. CMHS is providing support for
States through the Data Infrastructure Grants (DIG) program to report on the
URS measures, supporting web-based reporting, and refining measures and
methodologies for recording and reporting. It is also providing support to
National Association of State Mental Health Directors (NASMHPD) to synthesize
this data into state specific and national reports. In addition to the general
support for performance measurement like activities through the SIG program,
CSAP's SIG Enhancement grants will enable States to strengthen their data
infrastructure for gathering and reporting performance data. This program is
funded from SAMHSA discretionary funding. CSAT has been funding State Data
Infrastructure and State Treatment Needs Assessment program from block grant
set-aside funds.
In addition, because PPGs will need to rely on an IT architecture that will
enable easy access and use of performance data, SAMHSA will continue its
efforts to develop web-based systems. Efforts developing three separate systems
are currently supported through contracts and funded through the block grant
set-side funds, but will need to be reassessed in terms of whether one or
multiple systems are needed, within the broader agency-wide Data Strategy. CMHS
is funding the Decision Support System 2000+ (DSS 2000+). CSAP supports the
development of State Management Information Systems through its state Data
Systems contracts, including specific funding for MIS development. CSAT
supports the Web Information for Treatment Services program (WITS).
With respect to staff training, CSAT has been funding the PPG Technical
Assistance Coordinating Center (PPG TACC) to provide trainings and materials
for States on performance measurement and performance management. In addition,
CSAT is working with its ATTCs on various aspects of PPG implementation,
including the identification of State workforce and training needs related to
PPGs. CMHS is supporting technical assistance for the States through its
National Treatment Assistance Center and held a conference on performance data
issues for the States in late May 2003. Analytic and TA support to CSAP staff
is provided through CSAP's SPAS and Performance Partnership Models (PPM)
projects. CSAP provides TA to the States primarily through its Centers for the
Advancement of Prevention Technology.
Information on these activities and estimates of funding needed to continue them
have been provided to SAMHSA's Data Strategy Group and will be addressed as the
Administrator finalizes and implements SAMHSA's Data Strategy.
|
Item
[Substance abuse in rural and Native American communities] -- The
Committee remains concerned by the disproportionate presence of substance abuse
in rural and native communities, particularly for American Indian, Alaska
Native and Native Hawaiian communities. The Committee reiterates its belief
that funds for prevention and treatment programs should be targeted to those
persons and communities most in need of service. Therefore, the Committee has
provided sufficient funds to fund projects to increase knowledge about
effective ways to deliver services to rural and native communities. (Page 176)
Action taken or to be taken
Through collaborative efforts of SAMHSA's Centers for Substance Abuse
Prevention (CSAP) and Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), SAMHSA is addressing
the substance abuse prevention and treatment issues of rural and Native
American Communities. Both Centers recognize the need for funding to increase
knowledge about effective ways to deliver services to rural and native
communities, and are committed to providing culturally competent services to
members of all communities, including rural communities, American Indian,
Alaska Native (AI/AN), and Native Hawaiian communities. In response to this
issue, CSAP and CSAT fund alcohol and drug abuse service programs under
Programs of Regional and National Significance (PRNS) and Substance Abuse
Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SAPTBG) allocations.
|
Specific examples of activities focusing on rural and Native American Communities
include:
· During FY 2003, CSAP supported approximately $24,262,000 American
Indian/Alaska Native grant activities through its PRNS and SAPT BG programs.
· For several fiscal years, CSAT has targeted funding for treatment services in
rural, native, and tribal communities where little or no treatment capability
exists. In FY 2003, CSAT provided approximately $35 million, or almost 11% of
its total Programs of Regional and
National Significance (PRNS) discretionary funds, to support services for
American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Hawaiian Native populations.
· The 20 percent prevention set-aside of the Substance Abuse Prevention and
Treatment Block Grant (SABG) substantially increases states' capacity to build
and enhance their prevention and treatment services and systems to address the
needs of rural communities and Native American/Alaskan Native populations.
· CSAP is continuing to implement the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD)
project in Alaska to prevent alcohol-related birth defects and improve services
to individuals throughout the State.
· In FY 2003, a $3 million, three-year award, with equal contributions from CSAT
and CSAP, established a National American Indian/Alaska Native Resource Center,
built on the concepts of CSAT's Addiction Technology Transfer Centers (ATTCs)
and CSAP's Centers for the Application of Prevention Technology (CAPTs). The
focus of the AI/AN Resource Center is identification and dissemination of
effective evidence-based and traditional prevention and treatment services and
to enhance communication, technical assistance, and other information sharing
among rural and native populations nationwide.
|
Item
[SAMHSA and NIH collaboration] - The Committee continues to
strongly support the ongoing collaboration between SAMHSA and the National
Institutes of Health, specifically the National Institute of Mental Health, the
National Institute on Drug Abuse, and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse
and Alcoholism. The Committee urges SAMHSA to make concerted efforts to reduce
the current 15- to 20-year lag between the discovery of an effective treatment
or intervention and its availability at the community level. (Page 176)
Action taken or to be taken
In FY 2002 and 2003, SAMHSA's Administrator took the first step to advance the
SAMHSA/NIH collaboration by prioritizing Science to Services as a SAMHSA
effort; articulating a vision for the collaboration; and identifying a senior
level staff person to serve as a focal point for the initiative. The following
additional steps have been taken:
· The SAMHSA Administrator, the Center Directors and the Acting Institute
Directors met to formally launch the Science to Services initiative.
· SAMHSA established and filled a Science to Services Coordination position.
· A Science to Service Implementation Work Group was established, and has been
meeting regularly. Membership includes representatives from the NIAAA, NIDA,
NIMH and each of SAMHSA's Centers. An internal SAMHSA Science to Services work
group was also organized to coordinate SAMHSA efforts.
· Each of SAMHSA's three Centers (Center for Mental Health Services [CMHS],
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment [CSAT], and Center for Substance Abuse
Prevention [CSAP]) has identified appropriate Science to Services activities
that support the larger NIH/SAMHSA initiative.
· To implement the vision of the Science to Services initiative, the Work Group
has conceptualized a Science to Services cycle that identifies specific
inter-related steps of the process.
· In July 2002, a training and technical assistance session on the Science to
Services Initiative was held for SAMHSA staff. The purpose of the session was
to provide SAMHSA project officers with information and tools to help their
grantees to apply for Institute grants. Senior staff from the three Institutes
provided the training. The session was well received by SAMHSA staff.
· In April 2003, a training and technical assistance session on the Science to
Services Initiative was held for current SAMHSA grantees. The purpose of the
session was to provide these grantees with information and tools to help them
apply for Institute grants. Senior staff from the three Institutes provided the
training, which was well received by participants.
· In an effort to reach consensus on mechanisms for collaboration, the
Implementation Work Group is sharing information related to the Institutes
effective clinical interventions, SAMHSA's effective program interventions and
an inventory of current SAMHSA/NIH collaborations.
· Transition of research responsibilities in FY 2004 and FY 2005 will continue,
and additional steps within SAMHSA will accelerate the translation of research
findings into the delivery of services, as evidenced by the following:
· Expansion of SAMHSA's National Registry of Effective Programs (NREP) is
underway and will involve the review and identification of effective or
evidence-based programs in the core areas of mental health treatment and
prevention, and substance abuse treatment, to add to programs already
identified in substance abuse prevention. Many of the current NREP model
programs began as NIH-funded interventions, and it is likely that NREP
expansion will identify additional NIH-funded interventions for recognition as
model, effective and promising programs.
· SAMHSA's efforts to create standardized discretionary grant mechanisms will
enable targeted investments in services, infrastructure, best practices, and
service-to-science grants that will promote the expansion and adoption of
evidence-based practices.
· Exploration with NIH to identify how existing Institute grant mechanisms may
be aligned with SAMHSA's new standard grant mechanisms to promote coordinated
or collaborative funding of research and services in specific priority areas.
· Planning efforts to reach out and engage mental health and substance abuse
providers and training institutions to develop curriculum and educational
programs that will reinforce the use of effective and evidence-based practices.
|
Item
[Review of report on underage drinking] - The Committee is
troubled by SAMHSA's letter to the National Academy of Sciences Institute of
Medicine recommending that it include traditional advocacy groups and the
alcoholic beverage industry as peer reviewers for the NAS/IOM report on a
national strategy to reduce and prevent underage drinking prior to the report's
release. The Committee provided funding to the NAS for this report in fiscal
year 2002 because it values the NAS's reputation for objectivity, independence,
and competence, and it has confidence that the NAS will offer the most
appropriate science-based findings and recommendations. SAMHSA should not
recommend the involvement of groups with potential conflicts of interest in the
peer review process. The Committee believes the NAS has developed appropriate
policies for the conduct of the peer review process that will ensure a
balanced, objective and science-based report. (Pages 176-177)
Action taken or to be taken
The NAS report has been issued, and it is SAMHSA's understanding that no groups
with potential conflicts of interest were involved in the peer review process.
Consistent with the conference report, SAMHSA looks forward to having a key
role in establishing an interagency committee on the prevention of underage
drinking, issuing an annual report summarizing all Federal agency activities
concerning this issue, and coordinating with NIAAA on a plan for combating
underage drinking,
|
Item
[Mental health counselors] - The Committee continues to support
funding for mental health counselors for school-age children, as part of an
effort to reduce the incidence of youth violence.
The Committee intends that $95,000,000 be used for counseling services for
school-age youth. Among other things, the Committee believes that mental health
counseling for troubled youth can help prevent violent acts, and therefore is
providing continued funding to help schools in that
effort. It is again expected that SAMHSA will collaborate with the Departments
of Education and Justice to continue a coordinated approach. (Page 178)
Action taken or to be taken
The goals of the SAMHSA's Safe Schools/Healthy Students initiative include
interagency collaboration with the Departments of Education and Justice as well
as within communities to address issues related to violence prevention. In FY
2004, SAMHSA will continue support for the interagency collaboration through a
new competition for grant awards.
|
Item
[Jail diversion grant program] - The Committee supports
$6,059,000 for the jail diversion grant program. The Committee recognizes that
up to 1 million individuals with mental illnesses will spend time either in
jail or prison during the current year. This is a most unfortunate statistic,
when individuals could be more appropriately treated in a community health
setting. Therefore, the Committee urges SAMHSA to work with the Department of
Justice, the law enforcement community, the court system and other appropriate
agencies and associations to ensure that funding is utilized to divert
inappropriate incarcerations and link individuals with mental illnesses with
the support they need to avoid future contact with the criminal justice system.
(Page 179)
Action taken or to be taken
In FY 2002, CMHS funded a new Jail Diversion program in the amount of $4
million. In FY 2003, an additional $2 million supported 7 new grants for a
total of $6 million with continued funding expected in FY 2004. This program is
coordinated with the Department of Justice solicitation `Mental Health Court
Grant Program' to divert individuals with mental illness from the criminal
justice system to mental health treatment and other support services.
|
Item
[Post-traumatic stress disorder] - The Committee remains
concerned about the ongoing problem of post-traumatic stress disorder among the
refugee immigrant population in Hawaii, and it urges vigorous attention to the
mental health problems of these future citizens. (Page 179)
Action Taken or to be Taken
SAMHSA's Refugee Mental Health Program is gathering information on the status
and needs of refugees in Hawaii. This information will be used to complete a
white paper on refugees resettled in Hawaii as a support for program planning
and development.
|
Item
Training minority health professionals -- The Committee also
recognizes the urgency of training additional minority mental health
professionals, including Native Hawaiians, and it encourages SAMHSA to provide
additional resources to the Minority Fellowship Program. (p.179)
Action Taken or to be Taken
In FY 2004, SAMHSA will continue to support the Minority Fellowship Program to
facilitate entry of minority students into mental health and substance abuse
disorders careers. The target populations for this program as identified in the
Request for Applications are ethnic minority groups, including Native
Hawaiians. Grantees are encouraged to include all under-represented groups in
program activities such as the recently convened National SAMHSA Minority
Fellowship Program Conference: Cultural Competence and Reducing Health
Disparities.
|
Item
[States' eligibility for targeted capacity expansion grants] -
The Committee is concerned that States have been declared ineligible to apply
for certain targeted capacity expansion grants. The Committee expects SAMHSA to
submit to the Committee a plan in the fiscal year 2005 budget request to
address this issue for all TCE and other appropriate grants. (Page 184)
Action taken or to be taken
In FY 2004, all new funding announcements for TCE grant programs include States
as eligible applicants, unless the statutory authority limits eligibility to
entities other than the States (e.g., section 506 of the PHS limits eligibility
to community-based organizations) or there is a compelling reason for limiting
eligibility in such a way that States are not included. Only the following
anticipated FY 2004 TCE grant announcements are expected to limit eligibility
to entities that do not include the States:
· Homeless Services Grants - the authorizing statute (section 506 of the PHS
Act) limits eligibility to community-based organizations.
· HIV Prevention and Substance Abuse Prevention Planning Grants - this program
is part of a larger initiative (the Minority AIDS Initiative) designed to
empower community-level organizations in communities of color to respond to the
HIV epidemic.
· Testing for Hepatitis C and Rapid HIV Testing in Substance Abuse Treatment
Programs - This program will be limited to current HIV and Substance Abuse
Treatment grantees because it is intended to give them a small amount of
supplemental funding to enhance their programs to include new testing
capabilities.
· Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 (DATA) Physician Clinical Support Program
- Eligibility will be limited to the national professional organizations
authorized to carry out training as specified in the DATA.
|
Item
[Workforce recruitment] - The Committee recognizes the need for a
qualified and stable workforce to staff treatment centers. The unmet need for
treatment services is exacerbated by a workforce crisis in the field of
addictions treatment and prevention. The Committee urges SAMHSA to evaluate
workforce recruitment, training shortages and retention. (Page 184)
Action taken or to be taken
SAMHSA has initiated several actions to address the unmet need for treatment
services due to workforce crisis in the addictions treatment and prevention
fields. To begin to define the appropriate role for the federal government in
workforce development for the addictions field, in the second and third
quarters of FY 2004 SAMHSA will sponsor a series of meetings with seasoned
leaders in the field, the affiliated trade associations, representatives of
colleges and universities offering both degree and certificate programs in
addictions, and representatives from other federal agencies. These meetings
will result in a list of operational definitions for the personnel comprising
the workforce so that the language used in workforce documents is consistent
across the field, setting parameters to distinguish between full time clinical
and prevention professionals and adjunct professionals who provide intervention
and referral services, and treatment professionals who may manage medication
assisted treatment, but not provide therapy.
Additionally, it is important to understand how federal resources are used in
other professional fields for training, education, management and clinical
supervision education, curriculum development, research, and disseminating
clinical guidelines, and how in other disciplines the federal government
organizes opportunities for health professionals, faculty and trainers. SAMHSA
will gather information for dissemination on private and public sector
resources currently available for those seeking to enter the addictions field,
and explore the barriers preventing the expansion of the addictions workforce.
The National Office of the SAMHSA Addictions Technology Transfer Network is
piloting a workforce survey on addictions treatment providers. If determined
useful and informative, SAMHSA's intent is to survey the addictions workforce
nationwide. In addition, SAMHSA's Partners for Recovery Initiative will join
with the ATTC Network to sponsor a series of Leadership Development Institutes
to enhance the management and leadership capabilities in the field. It is
believed that these activities will result in a greater understanding of the
recruitment and retention problems of the field, and also provide a basis for
appropriate actions to impact the current workforce crisis, including
development of a national workforce improvement plan.
|
Item
[Implementation of performance partnership grant (PPG)] -- The
Committee wishes to express its strong support for preserving the current block
grant and future PPG as the foundation of our publicly funded substance abuse
system in every State and territory in the United States. Similarly, the
Committee is concerned with any effort that could erode the strength of the
current and future block grant. At a time when States are facing fiscal crises,
with some cutting substance abuse services, the maintenance of treatment
infrastructure and capacity at the local level is extremely important. The
Committee encourages SAMHSA to make the implementation of the PPG its number
one priority for substance abuse programming and to allocate commensurate
resources to support the transition to reflect this priority status. (Pages
184-185)
Action taken or to be taken
SAMHSA's PPG Report to Congress, as well as the Reauthorization proposal that
contains the statutory changes needed to implement PPGs, are nearing final
preparation for submission to HHS.
Both SAMHSA and the States have made considerable progress toward PPG
implementation. With regard to the Mental Health Block Grant, CMHS has been
working with the States to establish and implement the "Uniform Reporting
System" (URS), which contains all the core PPG Measures proposed for mental
health. Regarding the SAPT BG, well over half the States have established
performance measurement and reporting systems that will enable them to
incorporate and report on the proposed PPG measures for substance abuse in
their program management and reporting processes.
In addition, both the FY2005 mental health and substance abuse Block Grant
applications are in the final stages of being revised, as follows:
|
1. CMHS Block Grant Application: The notice that the new FY2005-2007 CMHS
Block Grant application is available for review was published in the Federal
Register on December 16, 2003. This application contains the
core PPG measures "on which States will be expected to report", and
incorporates other key features of PPGs, including permission to do a
multi-year plan and State flexibility to include their own performance
measures. With OMB approval of this application, it will become the CMHS PPG
Application.
2. SAPT Block Grant Application: The FY2005 SAPT Block Grant application
is being revised to become a "uniform application" for both prevention and
treatment. It will include, as voluntary, the PPG Core Measures for substance
abuse. However, because there are existing regulations implementing current
statutory provisions, SAMHSA's Reauthorization proposal will need to be enacted
before full implementation of PPGs - with multi-year plans and required
reporting - can take place. We anticipate that notice of the revised
application will be published in the Federal Register shortly after the first
of the year. Also, although we will be requesting three-year approval for this
application, we plan to submit a subsequent revision - depending upon
submission of our Report to Congress and passage of Reauthorization - that will
fully become an SAPT PPG Application.
|
Item
[Funding to reduce youth drug use] - The Committee is concerned
that the trend of the administration to request insufficient funding levels for
CSAP not only endangers recent drug prevention efforts, it also hampers the
ability of SAMHSA to plan for and fund longer-term grants, especially in
critical areas such as emerging drug trends. With the restored funding, the
Committee expects CSAP to focus its efforts on identifying and diffusing
comprehensive
community-wide strategies to reduce youth drug use, with an emphasis on
increasing the age of first use of alcohol and illicit drugs. (Page 185)
Action taken or to be taken
The Committee expressed concern regarding short-term and insufficient funding
levels for the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). Discretionary
funding levels must be seen within the context of other, larger funding sources
such as the SAPT Block Grant and other federal allocations for prevention.
Within this larger context SAMHSA/CSAP is using multiple mechanisms to identify
effective programs and to communicate that information to States and
communities. In this way, effective programming can be identified and
disseminated nationwide regardless of funding source.
In previous fiscal years, CSAP has devised and implemented strategies to best
utilize available funds, such as funding some1-year planning grants. CSAP is
anticipating the advent of 5-year grant programs for selected discretionary
grant programs beginning in FY 2004. With this increase in length of
discretionary grant programming, CSAP can focus on long-term efforts to
identify and disseminate comprehensive community-wide strategies to
reduce/prevent drug use. This increased timeframe will also allow CSAP and its
grantee partners the opportunity to systematically evaluate programs and
identify those that are most effective.
|
Item
[Emerging drug use issues] - The Committee notes that over the
past 10 years there has been an alarming increase in the use and availability
of ecstasy and other club drugs among our Nation's
youth. According to SAMHSA's Drug Abuse Warning Network, ecstasy-related
emergency room admissions in the United States increased significantly from 253
in 1994 to 5,542 in 2001. The Committee urges SAMHSA to pay close attention to
this and other emerging drug use issues. The Committee has included $5,000,000
to continue and expand on the program funded last year. (Page 186)
Action taken or to be taken
CSAP has focused on responding to the emerging Ecstasy and other club drugs
issue since FY 2002, and will continue to fund prevention programs focusing on
this issue throughout FY 2004.
As noted in the Committee Report, Ecstasy and other club drugs are powerfully
addictive substances whose use can lead to serious health and behavioral
problems, including memory loss, aggression, violence, psychotic behavior, and
potential heart and neurological damage. Their use also contributes to
increased transmission of infectious diseases, especially hepatitis and
HIV/AIDS. Use is increasing among young adults who attend "raves" or private
clubs; homeless and runaway youth; men who have sex with men and use other
drugs; and male and female commercial sex workers.
For the past two years under the Children's Health Act of 2000 (Public law
106-310), SAMHSA/CSAP has funded a number of ecstasy infrastructure development
and prevention intervention cooperative agreements addressing these drugs. In
FY 2002, 14 one-year ecstasy prevention grants were awarded. These included 7
prevention intervention and 7 ecstasy infrastructure development grants.
Program funds are used for planning, establishing, or administering ecstasy and
other club drug prevention programs and/or training of State and local law
enforcement officials, prevention and education officials, members of community
anti-drug coalitions, and parents, especially in traditional and non
traditional venues such as clubs where raves are held and for non-traditional
populations such as the gay, lesbian, bisexual and questioning community, other
young adults and law enforcement personnel.
In FY 2003, 12 additional one-year ecstasy grants were awarded that focused on
either or both interventions and infrastructure development. The CSAP FY 2004
budget allocates $5,000,000 to fund additional grants that, for the first time,
are proposed for up to 5 years. This change in approach reflects growing
recognition that the Ecstasy and other club drug issue requires a sustained,
long-term, focused effort of ever-increasing importance.
|
Item
[Data system] - In an effort to reach a more accurate assessment
of the substance abuse treatment gap, the Committee expects SAMHSA to encourage
other Federal agencies that fund substance abuse treatment services to
participate in a client level data system administered by SAMHSA. (Page 187)
Action taken or to be taken
SAMHSA estimates 75% of direct service providers participate in our Drug Abuse
Services Information System (DASIS) program. SAMHSA has encouraged other
federal agencies such as the Department of Justice and the Veterans
Administration to participate. Some pilot work has begun; however, relating
data from large data sets designated for other purposes to SAMHSA's data set
has been a challenging task. Also, data owned by other Federal government
contractors would have to be purchased.
|
|
|