[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 184 (Monday, September 22, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54601-54603]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-22053]


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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.

Project: National Outcome Measures for Substance Abuse Prevention (OMB 
No. 0930-0230)--Revision

    The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's 
(SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) is requesting 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for CSAP's data 
collection set of National Outcome Measures (NOMs) identified for the 
field of prevention. The current approval, under OMB No. 0930-0230, is 
expiring on December 31, 2008. All new grantees initially funded at the 
end of FY08 and beyond (subject to OMB approval) will be required to 
use these measures as appropriate at the State, substate, program and 
participant levels. CSAP is requesting approval to continue collecting 
data using measures in the following domains: Abstinence from Alcohol 
and Other Drugs, Employment/Education, Crime and Criminal Justice, 
Access/Service Capacity, Retention, Social Support/Social 
Connectedness, Cost-Effectiveness, and Use of Evidence-Based Practices. 
These NOMs relate to youth ages 12 to 17 and to adults ages 18 and 
older.
    CSAP is proposing to eliminate 22 of the 49 measures that received 
OMB clearance in 2005, to reduce reporting burden for grantees. CSAP 
also requests permission to make minor changes to the question wording 
and response categories for some of the remaining measures. Since the 
National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) provides an economical 
extant source of data for NOMs measures at the State level, it is

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important that the NOMs conform to NSDUH question wording. CSAP 
believes NOMs measures are necessary to assess the performance of its 
prevention programs. Based on its long history working with States, 
communities, and prevention providers, the Data Analysis Coordination 
and Consolidation Center (DACCC) and outside expert panels believe 
consistent prevention measures allow for valid comparison evaluations. 
CSAP is requesting to modify the wording of 12 previously approved 
questions in order to make them comparable to individual NOMs items. 
For example, NSDUH items on 30-day use ask respondents to report the 
number of days on which they used specific substances. Three currently 
approved NOMs 30-day use questions ask respondents for the number of 
occasions on which they used substances. CSAP would like to change the 
wording of these questions and their corresponding response options to 
conform to NSDUH wording. Second, response options for NSDUH questions 
typically include a Don't Know response option. CSAP is requesting 
modification of nine currently approved NOMs questions to include this 
response option.
    CSAP intends to implement the following approach in collecting NOMs 
data:
    Required NOMs Data for States. CSAP pre-populates State level NOMs 
measures for all but three domains using data from the NSDUH. States 
supply the data on the number of persons served, cost efficiency, and 
evidence based practices from their own administrative databases.
    Required NOMs Data for Discretionary Grantees. SAMHSA's CSAP has 
identified specific outcome measures that are required of non-State 
discretionary grant recipients. These NOMs represent the domains noted 
above and relate to youth ages 12 to 17 and to adults ages 18 and 
older. Grantees providing services are required to administer surveys 
to all participants at program entry (baseline), program exit, and 
three to six months following program exit.
    CSAP believes that the NOMs measures are necessary to assess the 
performance of its prevention programs; based on its long history 
working with States, communities, and prevention providers, and on 
input from its Data Analysis Coordination and Consolidation Center 
(DACCC) and from outside expert panels who made recommendations based 
on a review of existing measures using standard criteria. Additionally, 
we believe that these measures can be collected at the National, State, 
substate, and/or program level as appropriate, providing the 
consistency of measurement towards which we strive. NOMs epidemiologic 
measures are already collected by other agencies and no burden will be 
imposed on SAMHSA/CSAP grantees. The NOMs measures will be used as 
follows:
    National/State: Outcome trend measures are used to identify need 
and monitor global effectiveness at the population level, for the 
purpose of informing Federal resource allocation decisions.
    Community: Outcome trend measures are used to (1) determine need 
and target resources to communities at greatest risk and (2) track 
performance of universal programs and environmental strategies. The 
data will inform allocation of community resources.
    Program: Outcome pre/post measures are used to assess program 
performance of direct service programs at the individual program 
participant level.

                                                 Burden Estimate
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                                     Number of       Number of     Responses per      Hours/
       SAMHSA/CSAP program           grantees       respondents     respondent       response       Total hours
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                                                      FY 09
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Science/Services:
    Fetal Alcohol...............               6           4,800               3            0.75          10,800
    Workplace...................               6           6,000               1            0.75           4,500
Capacity:
    HIV/Targeted Capacity.......             135          35,300               3            0.75          79,425
    SPF SIG.....................              42  ..............               1            0.75               0
    SPF SIG/Community Level *...  ..............             480               1            0.75             360
    SPF SIG/Program Level *.....  ..............          12,000               1            0.75           9,000
    Methamphetamine.............              12           3,000               3            0.75           6,750
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                                                      FY10
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Science/Services:
    Fetal Alcohol...............               6           4,800               3            0.75          10,800
    Workplace...................               6           6,000               2            0.75           9,000
Capacity:                         ..............  ..............  ..............            0.75               0
    HIV/Targeted Capacity.......             135          35,300               3            0.75          79,425
    SPF SIG.....................              42  ..............               1            0.75               0
    SPF SIG/Community Level *...  ..............             480               1            0.75             360
    SPF SIG/Program Level *.....  ..............          12,000               1            0.75           9,000
    Methamphetamine.............              12           3,000               3            0.75           6,750
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                                                      FY11
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Science/Services:
    Fetal Alcohol...............               6           4,800               3            0.75          10,800
    Workplace...................               6           6,000               3            0.75          13,500
    Capacity
    HIV/Targeted Capacity.......             135          35,300               3            0.75          79,425
    SPF SIG.....................              42  ..............               1            0.75               0
    SPF SIG/Community Level *...  ..............             480               1            0.75             360
    SPF SIG/Program Level *.....  ..............           1,200               1            0.75             900

[[Page 54603]]

 
    Methamphetamine.............              12           3,000               3            0.75           6,750
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        Annual Average..........  ..............          10,196  ..............            0.75         15,359
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* The Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF SIG) has a three level evaluation: The Grantee,
  Community and Program Level. The Grantee level data will be pre-populated by SAMHSA. The use of the Community
  Level instrument is optional as they relate to targeted interventions implemented during the reporting period.
  At the program level, items will be selected to direct services implemented.

    Send comments to Summer King, SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer, 
Room 7-1044, 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: September 12, 2008.
Elaine Parry,
Acting Director, Office of Program Services.
[FR Doc. E8-22053 Filed 9-19-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P