[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 111 (Thursday, June 9, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33771-33773]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-14279]


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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

    Periodically, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
Administration (SAMHSA) will publish a summary of information 
collection requests under OMB review, in compliance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. chapter 35). To request a copy of these 
documents, call the SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer on (240) 276-1243.

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

    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.

[[Page 33772]]

     Key Informant Telephone Interviews.
    In addition to this original data collection, existing national 
data sets 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 policymakers. An on-line platform, http://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.

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                                                     Number of     Responses per     Hours per     Total annual
               Type of respondent                   respondents     respondent       response      burden hours
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Clinical directors or supervisors; Web-based                 569               1             .66             376
 survey.........................................
Clinical directors or supervisors; On-line focus             450               1             .5              225
 groups.........................................
Clinical directors or supervisors; Telephone                  20               1             .5               10
 interviews.....................................
Thought leaders; On-line focus groups...........             250               1             .5              125
Thought leaders; Telephone interviews...........              20               1             .5               10
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................           1,109  ..............  ..............             746
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[[Page 33773]]

    Written comments and recommendations concerning the proposed 
information collection should be sent by July 11, 2011 to: SAMHSA Desk 
Officer, Human Resources and Housing Branch, Office of Management and 
Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 
20503; due to potential delays in OMB's receipt and processing of mail 
sent through the U.S. Postal Service, respondents are encouraged to 
submit comments by fax to: 202-395-7285.

    Dated: June 3, 2011.
Elaine Parry,
Director, Office of Management, Technology and Operations.
[FR Doc. 2011-14279 Filed 6-8-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P