Purpose:
The purpose of this program is to provide comprehensive data and analysis on individuals who comprise the prevention and treatment fields to address mental and substance use disorders. The goal of the program is to provide valid data on the existing practitioners and usable information to SAMHSA on which to make policy and planning decisions.
Background:
According to the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 92% of individuals with an SUD do not get needed care; 57% of those with mental illness also do not get needed care and fully one-third of those living with serious mental illness do not get the care they need. Given SAMHSA’s charge to reduce the impact of mental illness and substance misuse on America’s communities, ensuring that individuals with mental and SUDs have access to evidence-based high quality care is a critical focus. A major factor in achieving this goal is addressing the training and education needs of practitioners. To facilitate the achievement of this goal, data on the current numbers and trends within practitioner fields is imperative.
Required Activities:
- Provide existing valid data on the current numbers of individuals working to prevent and treat mental and SUDs. These practitioners include but are not limited to: psychiatrists, addiction psychiatrists, counselors, social workers, psychologists, marriage/family therapists, advance practice nurses, nurses, addiction medicine physicians, peer specialists, and primary care practitioners who also serve this population
- Provide demographics, salary, and practice location information for these practitioners
- Develop and implement a means to collect and update these data on an annual basis
- Using these data and other national surveys, such as NSDUH, provide analysis to SAMHSA on the extent to which efforts are needed to expand these categories of professionals and the extent to which the existing numbers are sufficient. Ensure that existing and upcoming methods of treatment and prevention are considered e.g., telehealth, use of hub and spoke models
- Develop and implement a means to quickly provide analysis upon request on specialty topics related to individual practitioner categories or collective analysis on all categories
- Collaborate and contribute to other efforts within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) which can benefit from the information collected
Funding Available:
Filed Under: Featured, Funding Opportunities