[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 103 (Thursday, May 29, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32074-32075]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-13380]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

    In compliance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 concerning opportunity for public comment on proposed 
collections of information, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
Services Administration will publish periodic summaries of proposed 
projects. To request more information on the proposed projects or to 
obtain a copy of the information collection plans, call the SAMHSA 
Reports Clearance Officer on (301) 443-7978.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collections of 
information are necessary for the proper performance of the functions 
of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology.
    Proposed Project: Survey of SAMHSA Grantees Involved with 
Coordination of HIV, Substance Abuse, Mental Health and Hepatitis 
Programs--New--SAMHSA's Office of the Administrator/Office of Policy 
Planning and Budget plans to request assistance in the development of 
criteria to evaluate best practices to coordinate HIV, substance abuse, 
mental health, and hepatitis programs through a survey of SAMHSA 
grantees involved with coordination of HIV, substance abuse, mental 
health, and hepatitis programs. These are grantees funded by the 
Centers for Substance Abuse Treatment and the Centers for Substance 
Abuse Prevention under programs which fund the coordination of services 
across one or more of the following areas: Substance abuse prevention 
or treatment, mental health, HIV, and hepatitis.
    To date, there is a lack of consensus among federal agencies, state 
agencies, and local providers regarding what integration of services 
means, what it entails, and what constitutes a ``best practice.'' By 
2004, SAMHSA will develop grant programs to evaluate the coordination 
of programs and services across substance abuse, mental health, HIV, 
and hepatitis. The inclusion of grantee opinions regarding criteria for 
the evaluation of coordination, current practices to evaluate 
coordination, and barriers which impede grantee evaluation of service 
coordination will be of tremendous value to SAMHSA as the agency 
develops the requirements for funding and future technical assistance 
programs. SAMHSA grantees are currently implementing programs to 
coordinate services and can provide invaluable advice to SAMHSA so that 
the evaluation of coordination is relevant for the improvement of 
future programs and services.
    To gather grantee feedback, SAMHSA will conduct a one-time survey 
of grantees. Information will be gathered using a 16 question 
instrument developed to gather both quantitative and qualitative 
information. The survey will be distributed by email containing the web 
link to a website that will assure grantee confidentiality and reduce 
respondent or administrative burden related to responding to the 
survey. Grantees will be able to return the survey via email, fax, or 
mail. Grantees will be assured in writing that their survey responses 
will not be linked to their grantee organization. The following table 
summarizes the response burden for this survey.

[[Page 32075]]



------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                      Burden
                                         Responses     per       Total
         Number of respondents              per      response    burden
                                        respondent     (in       hours
                                                      hours)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
248...................................           1        .75        105
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Send comments to Nancy Pearce, SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer, 
Room 16-105, Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, MD 20857. 
Written comments should be received within 60 days of this notice.

    Dated: May 21, 2003.
Richard Kopanda,
Executive Officer, SAMHSA.
[FR Doc. 03-13380 Filed 5-28-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P