[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 140 (Thursday, July 21, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43695-43696]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-18371]


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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 (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.

Proposed Project: Networking Suicide Prevention Hotlines--Evaluation of 
the Lifeline Policies for Helping Callers at Imminent Risk (NEW)

    This proposed project is a new data collection that builds on 
previously approved data collection activities [Evaluation of 
Networking Suicide Prevention Hotlines Follow-Up Assessment (OMB No. 
0930-0274) and Call Monitoring of National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 
Form (OMB No. 0930-0275)]. This new data collection is an effort to 
advance the understanding of crisis hotline utilization and its impact. 
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's 
(SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) funds a National 
Suicide Prevention Lifeline Network (``Lifeline''), consisting of a 
toll-free telephone number that routes calls from anywhere in the 
United States to a network of local crisis centers. In turn, the local 
centers link callers to local emergency, mental health, and social 
service resources.
    The overarching purpose of the proposed Evaluation of the Lifeline 
Policies for Helping Callers at Imminent Risk is to implement data 
collection to evaluate hotline counselors' management of imminent risk 
callers and third party callers concerned about persons at imminent 
risk, and counselor adherence to Lifeline Policies and Guidelines for 
Helping Callers at Imminent Risk of Suicide. Specifically, the 
Evaluation of the Lifeline Policies for Helping Callers at Imminent 
Risk will collect data, using an imminent risk form, to inform the 
network's knowledge of the extent to which counselors are aware of and 
being guided by the Lifeline's imminent risk guidelines; counselors' 
definitions of imminent risk; the rates of active rescue of imminent 
risk callers; types of rescue; barriers to intervention; and the 
circumstances in which active rescue is initiated, including the 
caller's agreement to receive the intervention.
    Clearance is being requested for one activity to assess the 
knowledge, actions, and practices of counselors to aid callers who are 
determined to be at imminent risk for suicide and who may require 
active rescue. This evaluation will allow researchers to examine and 
understand the actions taken by counselors to aid imminent risk 
callers, the need for active rescue, and, ultimately, to improve the 
delivery of crisis hotline services to imminent risk callers. A total 
of eight centers will participate in this evaluation. Thus, SAMHSA is 
requesting OMB review and approval of the National Suicide Prevention 
Lifeline--Imminent Risk Form. This activity is distinct from the Crisis 
Center Survey data collection, which targets the entire network of 
crisis centers and focuses on a different domain of questions 
(specifically, the makeup, strengths, and needs of crisis centers.) The 
information gathered from the Crisis Center Survey cannot provide a 
profile of imminent risk callers or details about interventions with 
imminent risk or third party callers.
    Crisis counselors at eight participating centers will record 
information discussed with imminent risk callers on the Imminent Risk 
Form, which does not require direct data collection from callers. As 
with previously approved evaluations, callers will maintain anonymity. 
Counselors will be asked to complete the form for 100% of imminent risk 
callers to the eight centers participating in the evaluation. This form 
requests information in 14 content areas, each with multiple sub-items 
and response options. Response options include open-ended, yes/no, 
Likert-type ratings, and multiple choice/check all that apply. The form 
also requests demographic information on the caller, the identification 
of the center and counselor submitting the form, and the date of the 
call. Specifically, the form is divided into the following sections: 
(1) Call type, (2) gender, (3) age, (4) suicidal desire, (5) suicidal 
intent, (6) suicidal capability, (7) buffers to suicide, (8) 
interventions agreed to by caller or implemented by counselor without 
consent, (9) whether imminent risk was reduced enough such that active 
rescue was not needed, (10) interventions for third party callers 
calling about a person at imminent risk,

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(11) if supervisory consultation occurred, (12) barriers to getting 
needed help to the person at imminent risk, (13) steps taken to confirm 
emergency contact was made with person at risk, and (14) steps taken 
when emergency contact was NOT made with person at risk. The form will 
take approximately 15 minutes to complete and may be completed by the 
counselor during or after the call. It is expected that a total of 
1,440 forms will be completed by 360 counselors over the two-year data 
collection period.
    The estimated response burden to collect this information is 
annualized over the requested two-year clearance period and is 
presented below:

                                             Total and Annualized Averages--Respondents, Responses and Hours
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                                                                        Number of        Responses/                        Hours per        Total hour
                             Instrument                                respondents       respondent    Total responses      response          burden
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National Suicide Prevention Lifeline--Imminent Risk Form...........             360                2              720              .25              180
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    Send comments to Summer King, SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer, 
Room 8-1099, One Choke Cherry Road, Rockville, MD 20857 AND e-mail her 
a copy at [email protected]. Written comments should be 
received within 60 days of this notice.

    Dated: July 14, 2011.
Elaine Parry,
Director, Office of Management, Technology and Operations.
[FR Doc. 2011-18371 Filed 7-20-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P