FY 2017 Report on Conference Spending by Substance Abuse 

and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Center for Mental Health Services

National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day

Date: 5/1/17 

Venue, City State or Country: GWU Morton Auditorium, Washington, DC 

How the Conference Advanced the Mission of the Agency: This annual event was held to raise awareness 

with the media and general public about the importance of children's mental health from birth, as well as 

showcase youth who have learned to thrive with mental health challenges.

Total Estimated Cost: $119,956

Total Attendees: 420

Total Feds on Travel: 57

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 23

Primary Behavioral Health Care Integration (PBHCI) National Grantee Meeting

Dates: 6/5-8/17

Venue, City, State or Country: Hilton, Austin, TX

How the Conference Advanced the Mission of the Agency: This meeting was held to provide grantees with 

training and technical assistance as they establish projects for the provision of coordinated and integrated 

services through the co-location of primary and specialty care medical services in community-based mental and 

behavioral health settings.

Total Estimated Cost: $140,604

Total Attendees: 585

Total Feds on Travel: 12

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 21
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Combined State Justice Policy Academies

Dates: 6/20–22/17 

Venue, City, State or Country: Hamilton Crowne Plaza, Washington, DC

How the Conference Advanced the Mission of the Agency: This conference was held to support three 

national initiatives which aim to reduce the inappropriate incarceration of individuals with behavioral health 

issues by convening teams from county jurisdictions pledged to these respective initiatives, facilitating 

individualized strategic planning, and providing technical assistance.

Total Estimated Cost: $251,978

Total Attendees: 83

Total Feds on Travel: 3

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 80

Homeless Policy Academy

Dates: 7/25-29/17

Venue, City, State or Country: Liaison Capitol Hill, Washington, DC

How the Conference Advanced the Mission of the Agency: This event was held to assist states in 

developing and implementing action plans that address development of systems, service provision, and 

treatment.

Total Estimated Cost: $165,237

Total Attendees: 123

Total Feds on Travel: 15

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 52

Project AWARE Community Grantee Meeting

Dates: 7/25-26/17

Venue, City, State or Country: Marriott Wardman Park, Washington, DC

How the Conference Advanced the Mission of the Agency: This meeting brought together 69 AWARE 

Community grantee teams to review the status of their grants in regard to implementation, current challenges, 

sustainability planning, and general grants management issues and concerns.
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Total Estimated Cost: $112,158

Total Attendees: 234

Total Feds on Travel: 10

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 24

Voice Awards

Date: 8/16/17 

Venue, City, State or Country: UCLA Royce Hall, Los Angeles, CA

How the Conference Advanced the Mission of the Agency: This event was held to honor consumer/peer 

leaders who have played a vital role in raising awareness and understanding of mental illness and substance 

use disorders, and promoting the reduction of negative perceptions of people with behavioral health problems.

Total Estimated Cost: $187,046

Total Attendees: 520

Total Feds on Travel: 5

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 19

Homeless Policy Academy 

Dates: 8/21-23/17

Venue, City, State or Country: Liaison Capitol Hill, Washington, DC

How the Conference Advanced the Mission of the Agency: This event was held to assist states in 

developing and implementing action plans that address development of systems, service provision, and 

treatment.

Total Estimated Cost: $411,267

Total Attendees: 69

Total Feds on Travel: 15

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 54

Native Connections Strategic Symposium

Dates: 8/29-31/17

Venue, City, State or Country: Spokane Convention Center, Spokane, WA
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How the Conference Advanced the Mission of the Agency: This event allowed grantees to meet in person 

with their federal project officers, technical assistance providers, and fellow grantees to work on long-term 

project planning, budget management, and peer-to-peer learning.

Total Estimated Cost: $111,851

Total Attendees: 381

Total Feds on Travel: 6 

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 18

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment

Policy Academy to Address the Needs of Opioid-Dependent Pregnant Women and 

Their Infants

Dates: 2/7-8/17

Venue, City State or Country: Renaissance Hotel, Baltimore, MD

How the Conference Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The focus of this event was to strengthen 

collaboration and linkages across child welfare, addiction treatment, medical communities and other systems to 

improve services for pregnant women with opioid and other substance use disorders and outcomes for their 

babies.

Total Estimated Cost: $155,297

Total Attendees: 134

Total Feds on Travel: 12

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 122

Opioid Workshop for States

Dates: 8/7-9/17

Venue, City, State or Country: Marriott Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD

How the Conference Advanced the Mission of the Agency: This meeting was held to engage in open 

discussions, peer-to-peer information sharing, strategize on how to assist grantees in addressing their State 

Targeted Response to the Opioid Crisis grant requirements.
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Total Estimated Cost: $353,809

Total Attendees: 150

Total Feds on Travel: 35

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 115

Center for Substance Abuse Prevention

Prevention Leadership Academy

Dates: 5/2-4/17

Venue, City, State or Country: SAMHSA, Rockville, MD

How the Conference Advanced the Mission of the Agency: This bi-annual function was held to provide 

interactive training to state National Prevention Network representatives to increase/enhance/build skills for 

creating and sustaining effective state behavioral health systems.

Total Estimated Cost: $139,728

Total Attendees: 103

Total Feds on Travel: 0

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 27

Office of Program Policy and Innovation

Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Parity Policy Academy

Dates: 3/23-24/17

Venue, City, State or Country: SAMHSA, Rockville, MD

How the Conference Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The purpose of the policy academy was to 

promote understanding by state officials of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) of their 

role in promoting and enforcing parity.

Total Estimated Cost: $128,999

Total Attendees: 115

Total Feds on Travel: 0

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 98
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Commercial Insurance Parity Policy Academy

Dates: 4/17-28/17 

Venue, City, State or Country: SAMHSA, Rockville, MD

How the Conference Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The purpose of the policy academy was to 

promote understanding by commercial insurance carriers of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act 

(MHPAEA) of their role in promoting and enforcing parity.

Total Estimated Cost: $174,604

Total Attendees: 115

Total Feds on Travel: 0

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 76

Data Driven Justice

Dates: 9/6-8/17

Venue, City, State or Country: Hilton, Rockville, MD

How the Conference Advanced the Mission of the Agency: The purpose of this meeting was to examine 

and explore the data driven justice initiative which involves the use of a coordinated data effort across systems 

to identify areas of greatest need and, subsequently, target services and efforts to meet that need.

Total Estimated Cost: $386,226

Total Attendees: 145

Total Feds on Travel: 20

Total Non-Feds on Travel: 125