[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 94 (Monday, May 18, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23189-23190]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-11517]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review; Comment Request

    Periodically, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 
Administration (SAMHSA) will publish a summary of information 
collection requests under OMB review, in compliance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35). To request a copy of these 
documents, call the SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer on (240) 276-1243.
    Project: Evaluation of SAMHSA's Minority Fellowship Program (MFP)--
NEW.
    The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's 
Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) will conduct an independent 
evaluation of the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP).
    In 1973, in response to a substantial lack of ethnic and racial 
minorities in the mental health professions, the Center for Minority 
Health at the National Institute of Mental Health established the 
Minority Fellowship

[[Page 23190]]

Program (MFP). Since its move to SAMHSA in 1992, the MFP has continued 
to facilitate the entry of minority graduate students and psychiatric 
residents into mental health careers and has increased the number of 
psychology, psychiatry, nursing, and social work professionals trained 
to provide mental health and substance abuse services to minority 
groups. Up until FY 2007, grantees have been limited to the American 
Nurses Association (ANA), the American Psychiatric Association (ApA), 
the American Psychological Association (APA), and the Council on Social 
Work Education (CSWE). The MFP is supported by funds from all three 
SAMHSA centers, the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), the 
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT), and the Center for 
Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP).
    With input from SAMHSA staff, the four pre-2007 grantee 
organizations, and two advisory panels (of independent experts in the 
MFP and/or culturally competent behavioral health care, as well as 
consumer and family representatives), a logic model was designed and a 
set of data collection instruments have been developed for this 
evaluation. SAMHSA will employ information that is routinely collected 
under existing program requirements and also will be collecting 
additional data that also are necessary for the conduct of the 
evaluation. At the end of each grant year, the grantee organizations 
(the ANA, ApA, APA, and CSWE) will document their activities, 
accomplishments, and expenditures and assessment measures for the most 
recently completed fiscal year. In addition, each grantee will maintain 
a database with information on current and former Fellows. None of the 
data collection activities proposed for this evaluation will be 
redundant with these existing reporting requirements and data sources. 
The evaluation plan includes gathering information about the MFP from 
persons with different experiences and perspectives on the MFP. 
Accordingly, SAMHSA proposes to conduct the following new data 
collection activities:
    On-line (Internet-based) surveys:
    1. Current SAMHSA MFP Fellows in each of the four academic 
disciplines;
    2. MFP Alumni who were in the four programs during the time the 
program was administered by SAMHSA; and
    3. Current and former members of Selection and Advisory Committees 
in each of the four grantee programs.
    Telephone Interviews:
    1. Current and former SAMHSA MFP Staff and other SAMHSA officials 
involved in the MFP;
    2. Current and former MFP Program Directors or Senior Staff in each 
of the four grantee programs; and
    3. Staff in each of the grantee's host organizations (i.e. staff in 
the ANA, APA, ApA, and CSWE).

The surveys and interview protocols have been developed to include 
questions relevant to each of the respective stakeholder groups named 
above, with similar core questions asked across all groups.
    The resulting data will identify (1) the historical context in 
which the MFP has operated; (2) the processes and activities 
established by SAMHSA and by the grantees to implement the MFP; (3) the 
perceptions about how well the SAMHSA MFP is performing; and (4) the 
ability of the program to achieve particular goals under its purview.
    Each new cohort of Fellows will develop and support the following 
goals:
    1. Training/mentoring ethnic/racial minority students and 
professionals in mental health/substance abuse treatment;
    2. Increasing the number of ethnic/racial minority professionals in 
mental health/substance abuse treatment;
    3. Increasing diversity in mental health/substance abuse 
leadership;
    4. Increasing professional contributions in mental health/substance 
abuse treatment for minority populations;
    5. Increasing institutional involvement of ethnic/racial minority 
professionals in the areas of mental health and substance abuse 
treatment; and
    6. Increasing mental health and substance abuse services to 
minority communities.

The burden estimate for conducting the surveys and interviews under the 
evaluation plan for the MFP is as follows:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                    Burden per
                     Surveys                         Number of     Responses per     response      Total burden
                                                    respondents     respondent        (hrs.)          (hrs.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current SAMHSA MFP Fellows Survey...............             100               1             1.5             150
SAMHSA MFP Alumni Survey........................             850               1               2            1700
MFP Selection and Advisory Committees Survey....              40               1             1.5              60
Current and former SAMHSA MFP Program Staff and                8               1               2              16
 other SAMHSA officials Interview Protocol......
Current and former MFP Program Directors or                    8               1               2              16
 Senior Staff (from the grantee organizations)
 Interview Protocol.............................
Grantee host organization Interview Protocol....               8               1               1               8
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................           1,015  ..............  ..............           1,950
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Written comments and recommendations concerning the proposed 
information collection should be sent by June 17, 2009 to: SAMHSA Desk 
Officer, 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: May 11, 2009.
Elaine Parry,
Director, Office of Program Services.
[FR Doc. E9-11517 Filed 5-15-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P