[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 62 (Thursday, March 31, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17931-17933]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-7577]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; 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 (SAMHSA) 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 (240) 276-1243.
    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.

Project: Addiction Technology Transfer Centers (ATTC) National 
Workforce Data Collection

    The ATTC Network, a nationwide, multidisciplinary resource that 
draws upon the knowledge, experience and latest research of recognized 
experts in the field of addictions and behavioral health, is a unique 
CSAT initiative formed in 1993 in response to a shortage of well-
trained addiction and behavioral health professionals in the public 
sector. The ATTC Network works to enhance the knowledge, skills and 
aptitudes of the addiction/behavioral health treatment and recovery 
services workforce by disseminating current health services research 
from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute on 
Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institute of Mental Health, 
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, National Institute of 
Justice, and other sources, as well as other SAMHSA programs. To 
accomplish this, the ATTC Network (1) develops and updates state-of-
the-art research based curricula and professional development training, 
(2) coordinates and facilitates meetings between Single State 
Authorities, Provider Associations and other key stakeholders, and (3) 
provides ongoing technical assistance to individuals and organizations 
at the local, regional and national levels.
    In response to the emerging shortages of qualified addiction 
treatment and recovery services professionals, SAMHSA/CSAT instructed 
the ATTC National Office to lead the ATTC Network in the development 
and implementation of a national addiction treatment workforce data 
collection effort of those individuals who work in substance use 
specialty treatment services. The purpose of this survey and data 
collection is to gather information to guide the formation of effective 
national, regional, state, and organizational policies and strategies 
aimed at successfully recruiting and retaining a sufficient number of 
adequately prepared providers who are able to respond to the growing 
needs of those affected by substance use and mental health disorders; 
including co-occurring disorders and trauma. This data collection will 
offer a unique perspective on the clinical treatment field so that CSAT 
and the ATTC Network can better understand current successful 
strategies and methodologies being used in the workforce and develop 
appropriate training for emerging trends in the field.
    Although SAMHSA/CSAT is the primary target audience for data 
collection findings, it is expected that the data collected and 
resulting reports will also be useful to the ATTC Network, as well as 
to Single State Agencies, provider organizations, professional 
organizations, training and education entities, and individuals in the 
workforce.

Overview of Data Collection and Purposes

    Data will be collected from two main sources: 1. A random sample of 
clinical directors or a designated direct care supervisor from 
facilities listed in the I-SATS database. 2. A national sample of 
clinical directors and key thought leaders, identified by CSAT in 
conjunction with the ATTC network, in the substance use disorders 
treatment field. Respondents will be asked to participate in at least 
one of three (3) distinct methods. They are:

 A web-based Clinical Director Survey (also available in paper 
format)
 On-line Focus Groups
 Key Informant Telephone Interviews

    In addition to this original data collection, existing national 
data sets

[[Page 17932]]

will also be utilized. Such data systems will include:

 Census 2000 datasets
 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-
SSATS)
 SAMHSA Treatment Gap Projection Analysis
 Treatment Episode Data
 Bureau of Labor datasets such as Current Employment Statistics
 Annapolis Coalition Data

    Clinical Director Survey: The Clinical Director Survey asks 57 
questions of the clinical director or a designated direct care 
supervisor (direct care refers to staff members who spend a majority of 
their time providing clinical care for clients with substance use and/
or co-occurring disorders as their primary diagnosis). For the purpose 
of this survey, the clinical director is defined as the person whose 
role it is to oversee direct clinical service delivery for this 
facility. The instrument asks respondents to report demographic 
information about both themselves and the direct care staff they 
supervise, information about the facility at which they currently work, 
as well as information about their job satisfaction, recruitment and 
retention strategies, clinician training and preparation, and staff 
turnover.
    On-Line Focus Groups: On-line Focus Groups will be utilized to 
gather qualitative data from two sources: 1. Clinical supervisors and/
or direct care staff in leadership positions; 2. Thought leaders in 
addiction/behavioral health treatment to include Single State 
Authorities (SSAs), addiction treatment agency directors, academics, 
and policy makers. An on-line platform, IdeaScale.com will be used to 
gather qualitative data about future trends in substance use and co-
occurring disorders and trauma treatment. IdeaScale will also be used 
to gather information from clinical supervisors and direct care staff 
on effective and creative staff development, recruitment, and retention 
strategies being used by the agency for which they work. These ideas 
will be posted for this community of invited participants to comment on 
and discuss; thus allowing a national audience to participate in this 
on-line focus group.
    Key Informant Telephone Interviews: Based on participation in the 
on-line focus groups, a minimum of 40 IdeaScale respondents will be 
selected for telephone interviews. The purpose of these interviews is 
to enrich understanding surrounding current and future trends in 
substance use and co-occurring disorders and trauma treatment as well 
as effective workforce development, recruitment, and retention 
strategies. An interview script has been developed to guide the 
question formation for the interviews.

Overview of Questions Related to Data Collection

    The objectives of the national addiction treatment workforce data 
collection effort are to understand the national demographics of the 
current workforce and how this differs across regions and states, in 
addition to exploring issues related to workforce development: 1. Staff 
training, recruitment and retention; 2. Professional development; and 
3. Support for strategies and methodologies to prepare, recruit, 
retain, and sustain the workforce. To accomplish these objectives, CSAT 
outlined three primary questions to be addressed by the workforce data 
collection:
1. What are the basic demographics of the workforce?
    For the purposes of the ATTC data collection effort, this means 
that we will comprehensively describe the workforce comprised of direct 
care staff, clinical supervisors, and administrators in agencies 
represented in the Inventory of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (I-
SATS).
2. What are the anticipated workforce development needs for 2011-2016?
    For the purposes of this data collection, the ATTC Network will 
identify the growth and capacity-building needs over the next five 
years of direct care staff, clinical supervisors, and administrators in 
agencies represented in the I-SATS registry.
3. What are the common strategies and methodologies to prepare, retain, 
and maintain the workforce?
    Identification of potentially effective strategies used to prepare 
and recruit individuals to enter the workforce (as previously defined), 
and encourage them to remain in the workforce and stay current on 
clinical and other job related skills (e.g., evidence based practices).
    This will be the first national survey of the substance use 
disorders treatment workforce. The quantitative survey and the 
qualitative interviews and analysis will be used to provide a snapshot 
of the current state of the addiction treatment workforce as it relates 
to demographics, workforce development needs, and retention and 
maintenance of a strong workforce. These data will provide national 
benchmark data that can be used to inform ongoing policy and practice.
    Information collected from this workforce data collection will help 
CSAT and the ATTC Network to better understand the needs of the 
workforce and categorize some best practices for providing support to 
the field now and in the future. Emerging trends in addiction and/or 
co-occurring and trauma treatment and the existence of mental health 
problems in substance use disorder treatment and recovery services will 
be identified and shared with those in the addiction/behavioral health 
treatment field so appropriate training and funding can be allocated. 
The information from this data collection will also help CSAT identify 
areas where deficiencies in substance use and/or co-occurring disorder 
and trauma treatment exist and provide assistance to regions (and 
states) to help them develop and adopt strategies for addressing this.
    The chart below summarizes the annualized burden for this project.

[[Page 17933]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TN31MR11.066

Proposed Project

    Send comments to Summer King, SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer, 
Room 8-1099, One Choke Cherry Road, Rockville, MD 20857 and e-mail a 
copy to [email protected]. Written comments should be received 
within 60 days of this notice.

    Dated: March 23, 2011.
Elaine Parry,
Director, Office of Management, Technology and Operations.
[FR Doc. 2011-7577 Filed 3-30-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P