[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 106 (Monday, June 4, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30814-30816]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-2739]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration


Notice Regarding Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
Administration's National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and 
Practices (NREPP): Priorities for NREPP Reviews

SUMMARY: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 
(SAMHSA) is committed to preventing the onset and reducing the 
progression of mental illness, substance abuse, and substance-related 
problems among all individuals, including youth. As part of this 
effort, SAMHSA has expanded and refined the agency's National Registry 
of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP). Two previous notices 
announcing these changes have been published in the Federal Register 
(70 FR 50381, Aug. 26, 2005; 71 FR 13133, Mar. 14, 2006). A third 
notice announced the first open submission period, October 1, 2006, 
through February 1, 2007 (71 FR 37590, June 30, 2006).
    This notice explains how SAMHSA and its three Centers will 
prioritize interventions submitted for NREPP reviews during fiscal year 
2008 and provides guidance on the submission process. This information 
can be helpful to individuals and organizations seeking to have an 
intervention reviewed and described on the NREPP Web site.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin D. Hennessy, PhD, Science to 
Service Coordinator/SAMHSA, 1 Choke Cherry Road, Room 8-1017, 
Rockville, MD 20857, (240) 276-2234.

    Dated: May 25, 2007.
Terry L. Cline,
Administrator, SAMHAS.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National 
Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP): Priorities 
for NREPP Reviews

Background

    The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's 
(SAMHSA) National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices

[[Page 30815]]

(NREPP) is a voluntary rating system designed to provide the public 
with reliable information on the scientific basis and practicality of 
interventions that prevent and/or treat mental health and substance use 
disorders. Descriptive information and quantitative ratings are 
provided across several key areas for all interventions reviewed by 
NREPP. This information is available to the public through a new NREPP 
Web site (http://www.nrepp.samhsa.gov).
    Public input from a range of stakeholders has improved NREPP's 
accessibility and usefulness as a ``decision support tool'' to help 
States, Territories, community-based organizations, and other 
interested stakeholders identify interventions that may meet their 
needs. NREPP provides useful information--including ratings on the 
quality of research and readiness for dissemination--to assist 
individuals and organizations in identifying interventions that may 
address their particular needs and match their specific capacities and 
resources.
    Each of SAMHSA's Centers--the Center for Substance Abuse 
Prevention, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, and the Center 
for Mental Health Services--has established annual review priorities 
regarding the types of interventions to be included in NREPP. In 
general, these priorities represent the interests and needs of relevant 
stakeholders and reflect SAMHSA's matrix and grant priorities.
    This notice describes the Centers' priorities for fiscal year 2008 
and provides guidance to individuals and organizations who may be 
considering submitting an intervention for NREPP review.

SAMHSA's NREPP Priorities

    SAMHSA is prioritizing for NREPP review interventions that prevent 
and treat mental and/or substance use disorders. For NREPP purposes, 
SAMHSA defines interventions as programs, practices, and/or 
environmental strategies designed to change behavioral outcomes among a 
definable population or within a definable geographic area.
Minimum Requirements for NREPP Review
    Individuals and organizations interested in submitting an 
intervention for review must first document that the intervention meets 
the following three requirements:
    1. The intervention demonstrates one or more positive outcomes (p 
<= .05) in mental health and/or substance use behavior among 
individuals, communities, or populations.
    2. Intervention results have been published in a peer-reviewed 
publication or documented in a comprehensive evaluation report.
    3. Documentation (e.g., manuals, process guides, tools, training 
materials) of the intervention and its proper implementation is 
available to the public to facilitate dissemination.
    Interventions that do not meet all three of these minimum 
requirements will not be considered for NREPP review.
    SAMHSA particularly encourages submissions of gender and culturally 
appropriate interventions that specifically target the following 
underserved populations: American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian American, 
Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, and Native Hawaiian or 
other Pacific Islander.
Priority Review Points
    Interventions that meet the three minimum requirements may be 
awarded points that will help determine their prioritization for 
potential NREPP review. Interventions will receive 1 priority point, 
and thus higher priority for potential NREPP review, if they have been 
evaluated using a quasi-experimental or experimental study design. Such 
studies may include a pre/post design with a comparison or control 
group or a longitudinal/time series design. Time series designs must 
include at least three preintervention or baseline measurements and at 
least three postintervention or follow-up measurements. An additional 
priority point may be obtained if at least one primary outcome of the 
submitted intervention falls within any of the current SAMHSA Center 
Priority Areas. The Priority Areas for fiscal year 2008 for each of 
SAMHSA's three Cnters are listed below.
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP)
    CSAP strives to expand and enhance the development of 
comprehensive, integrated systems and services within all States, 
Tribes, and jurisdictions that promote community and personal health 
and wellness and prevent substance abuse and mental disorders. In 
support of this goal, CSAP Priority Areas focus on comprehensive 
community-based approaches and innovative interventions that:
     Prevent and/or reduce substance abuse and its related 
problems--e.g., underage drinking, inhalant abuse, cannabis use and 
abuse, drug-related suicide, alcohol and drug abuse among young adults, 
misuse of alcohol and prescription drugs among the elderly, and HIV/
substance abuse problems.
     Reduce risk factors and/or increase protective factors 
(factors known to contribute to positive changes in substance abuse 
behaviors).
     Address emerging substance abuse problems--e.g., 
methamphetamine use, abuse of over-the-counter and prescription drugs, 
use of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs.
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT)
    CSAT Priority Areas focus on interventions to treat adolescents and 
adults with alcohol and/or drug disorders, including interventions 
developed or adapted for special populations (e.g., American Indians/
Alaska Natives, other minorities), that are delivered as part of one or 
more of the following types of services:
     Screening and brief intervention in general health care 
settings.
     Outreach and engagement for drug-dependent populations, 
including persons with or at risk for HIV.
     Treatment and rehabilitation, including behavioral 
interventions alone or in combination with pharmacological treatment.
     Treatment and rehabilitation for individuals involved in 
the criminal justice system.
     Recovery support and/or continuing care.

Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS)

    CMHS Priority Areas focus on interventions to:
     Foster consumer- and family-provided mental health 
services, excluding school-based services.
     Reduce the effects of trauma on the mental well-being of 
children, adolescents, and adults.
     Promote employment among individuals with serious mental 
illness.
     Provide treatment for mental illnesses in settings that 
are either integrated or closely coordinated with primary care.
     Divert adults with serious mental illness and/or children 
and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances from criminal and 
juvenile justice systems.
     Develop alternatives to the use of seclusion and restraint 
for adults with serious mental illness and/or children and adolescents 
with serious emotional disturbances.
     Prevent suicide in specific age groups (i.e., adolescents, 
young adults, elders).

[[Page 30816]]

Exclusions From NREPP
    The following types of interventions are not eligible for review 
and should not be submitted to NREPP:
    1. Stand-alone pharmacologic treatments--The evidence base for 
pharmacologic treatments is reviewed and approved through the U.S. Food 
and Drug Administration (FDA). NREPP reviews will be limited to on-
label use of FDA-approved pharmacotherapy interventions that are 
combined with one or more psychosocial treatments.
    2. Stand-along smoking prevention and/or cessation interventions--
These interventions are appropriate for NREPP review only when they are 
conducted as part of a program addressing the prevention and/or 
treatment of alcohol or other drugs of abuse.

Availability of NREPP Review Funds

    The number of reviews conducted by NREPP in any given year is 
contingent on both the total number of submissions received and the 
availability of NREPP contract resources. SAMHSA cannot guarantee the 
review of any specific submission.

Submission Guidance

    SAMHSA has established a 4-month period for receipt of NREPP 
submissions in fiscal year 2008 that will begin October 1, 2007, and 
end February 1, 2008. Interventions submitted after February 1, 2008, 
will not be considered for NREPP review during this fiscal year. 
Interventions not selected for review may be resubmitted again in the 
next open submission period provided they meet NREPP's minimum 
requirements. All submissions must be made by the intervention 
developer or principal investigator. Third parties may submit an 
intervention, but documentation must be provided to NREPP confirming 
that the intervention developer or principal investigator has formally 
authorized the third-party submission.
    To be considered for potential review, interventions must 
demonstrate that they meet NREPP's three minimum requirements. Table 1 
depicts the types of documentation that should be submitted so that 
NREPP staff can accurately assess whether the intervention meets these 
requirements.
    If an intervention is accepted for review, additional supporting 
documentation and three copies of all hard-copy dissemination materials 
will need to be submitted.

  Table 1.--Suggested Documentation Indicating Compliance With Minimum
                              Requirements
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                                               Suggested supporting
          Minimum requirement                     documentation
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1. The intervention demonstrates one or  Full-text electronic or hard
 more positive outcomes (p <= .05)        copies of:
 related to mental health and/or          Research articles.
 substance use behaviors.                 Published and/or
                                          unpublished evaluation
                                          reports.
                                          Grant final reports.
                                          Replication studies.
                                         Note: Abstracts or URLs to
                                          partial articles are regarded
                                          as incomplete and will not be
                                          considered.
2. Intervention results have been
 published in a peer-reviewed
 publication or documented in a
 comprehensive evaluation report. A
 comprehensive evaluation report has
 the following components: Review of
 the literature, theoretical framework,
 purpose, methodology, findings/
 results, discussion, and conclusions.
3. Documentation of the intervention      List of dissemination
 and its implementation is available to   materials (e.g., manuals,
 the public to facilitate dissemination.  process guides, tools,
                                          training materials, quality
                                          assurance protocols) that are
                                          available to the public.
                                          Materials catalog.
                                          Program Web site.
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Selection and Ordering of Reviews
    All submitted interventions meeting NREPP's minimum requirements 
will be considered for NREPP review. The selection of interventions and 
order of reviews will be determined in part by a system of priority 
points on the SAMHSA Center Priority Areas described above. 
Interventions awarded 2 priority points have higher priority than those 
awarded 1 priority point, and interventions awarded 1 priority point 
have higher priority than those awarded 0 priority points. In addition, 
SAMHSA reserves the right to select interventions based on other 
factors to ensure that NREPP provides a balanced portfolio of 
information relating to the prevention and/or treatment of mental 
health and/or substance use disorders.
    NREPP submissions not selected for review will be returned to the 
applicant. These submissions will not automatically be considered for 
review in subsequent submission cycles; however, applicants may choose 
to resubmit their intervention at a later date.
    The number of reviews that NREPP actually undertakes in any given 
year will depend upon available contract resources.
Contact Regarding Submissions
    Individuals and organizations interested in submitting an 
intervention should contact the NREPP contractor, MANILA Consulting 
Group, to express their interest. Staff from MANILA will provide 
further guidance and details about the submission process as 
appropriate. Electronic correspondence (e-mail) is preferred and can be 
sent to [email protected]. Interested parties can also contact 
MANILA by phone at (571) 633-9797, ext. 406.

[FR Doc. 07-2739 Filed 6-1-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-01-M