[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 217 (Wednesday, November 10, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65197-65198]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-25028]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities Under Emergency Review 
by the Office of Management and Budget

    The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 
(SAMHSA) has submitted the following request (see below) for emergency 
OMB review under the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). 
OMB approval has been requested by November 24, 2004. A copy of the 
information collection plans may be obtained by calling the SAMHSA 
Reports Clearance Officer on (240) 276-1243.
    Title: SAMHSA Suicide Prevention Hotline Networking Form.
    OMB Number: 0930-New.
    Frequency: One-time-only.
    Affected public: Non-Profit Institutions.
    Section 520A of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act [42 U.S.C. 
290bb-32] authorizes the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and 
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to establish the Suicide 
Prevention Hotline program as part of its mandate to address priority 
mental health needs of regional and national significance. Each year, 
beginning with the 2001 appropriations bill, Congress has directed that 
funding be provided for the Suicide Prevention Hotline program, through 
which SAMHSA has established the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 
Network.
    The National Suicide Prevention Hotline Network consists of a 
single toll-free telephone number that routes calls from anywhere in 
the United States to a network of local crisis centers that can link 
callers to local emergency, mental health, and social service 
resources. Behind the scenes is a computerized ``routing system,'' 
which matches each incoming call to a complex array of crisis center 
characteristics, and rapidly links the caller to the nearest available, 
appropriate crisis center.

[[Page 65198]]

    Technological and administrative changes necessitate that a new 
toll-free telephone number and a new, more sophisticated routing system 
be operational by January 1, 2005. This entails collecting 
administrative information from each of the 144 crisis centers 
currently participating in the network (e.g., location, hours of 
operation, call capacity, non-English language capability) and 
programming the data into a new routing system to ensure that each 
caller is linked to the nearest and most appropriate crisis center. The 
form developed to secure this information requests only factual 
information that is essential to the design of the routing system.
    The following table is the estimated hour burden:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 Burden/
     Number of respondents       Responses/     response        Total
                                 respondent      (hrs.)     burden hours
------------------------------------------------------------------------
144...........................            1           .17         24.50
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Emergency approval is being requested because SAMHSA does not want 
to risk the possibility of disrupting the functioning of the national 
suicide prevention hotline network, and the subsequent possibility that 
even one individual who tries calling a non-working hotline might 
ultimately take his/her own life.
    Written comments and recommendations concerning the proposed 
information collection should be sent within two weeks of this notice 
to: John Kraemer, 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: 202-395-6974.

    Dated: November 4, 2004.
Patricia S. Bransford,
Acting Executive Officer, SAMHSA.
[FR Doc. 04-25028 Filed 11-9-04; 8:45 am]
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