Response Comment

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Minority AIDS Initiative – Survey of Grantee Project Directors

Attachment D

D. SAMHSA Response to Comment by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Specifics of the comment by the comment by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics are outlined below followed by SAMHSA’s response.

1. The Academy encourages SAMHSA to ensure the survey includes input not only from the Program Director, but also from the providers and clinical staff on the grants. These individuals in the trenches often have answers to questions not available to administrative staff who have little client or patient contact.

SAMHSA is collecting information from providers and clinical staff through another data collection effort with one group of grantees. We can look into collecting information from providers and clinicians from other grantees in the future, should resources become available.

2. The Academy anticipates that SAMHSA will set measurable goals and success rates as to how many surveys will need returned out of the 152 program directors surveyed as part of effective data collection and will provide Program Directors with its estimate of how long the survey is expected to take and the impact it will have.

Information on the purpose of the survey and the time it should take to complete the survey is included in the introductory materials for the survey.

3. Lastly, the Academy encourages SAMHSA to more clearly outline how the following health indicators will be measured and whether these be quantified or whether experiential and/or subjective data also be collected:

   1. Reducing behavioral health disorders and HIV infections;

   2. Increasing access to substance use disorder (SUD) and mental disorder treatment and care; and

   3. Improving behavioral and mental health outcomes; and reducing HIV-related disparities in four specific grant programs.

SAMHSA is collecting client-level data through another data collection effort. We can look into collecting additional information on health indicators through the survey in the future, should resources become available.